New Zealand opened its first hospital on Friday dedicated exclusively to kiwis, endemic birds, with its first patient being a chick nicknamed
“Splash”
, which fell into a swimming pool.
Once endangered, the population of this long-beaked bird is growing, prompting the opening of a veterinary hospital dedicated to the species in Kerikeri, a three-hour drive north of the city of Auckland.
“Some can be hit by cars.
The more kiwis there are, the more likely it is that some will need help
,” said Kiwi Coast coordinator Ngaire Sullivan.
“We wanted to make sure stressed Kiwis get the care they need.”
It is the first hospital of its kind in New Zealand, the Ministry of Conservation told AFP.
The rehabilitation center was built by Kiwi Coast in the Northland region of the Pacific country, which has a population of almost 10,000 brown kiwis.
About 26,000 brown kiwis live in the wild in New Zealand, about 1,000 more than in 2008, when they were considered a vulnerable species.
The species is no longer considered threatened, thanks to bird protection associations which eliminate its predators such as stoats and ferrets.
Good predator management
New Zealand dog owners have also been offered training to teach their pets not to attack the flightless birds.
The center treated its first patient even before the official opening: a young kiwi who managed to slip through a fence and then fell into a swimming pool filter.
“He was discovered near death the next morning by a worker working on a nearby construction site
,” Ms. Sullivan said.
The kiwi, treated for a few days, was named
“Splash”
by staff before being released.
Injured or sick birds previously had to be transported for at least an hour for treatment, with some not surviving the journey.
The hospital, run by volunteers, has veterinary facilities and isolation areas,
“so as not to spread diseases
,” the official explained.
The rebound in the kiwi population is due to good management of its predators,
“but without sustained effort, the brown kiwi could easily become threatened again”
, underlined a collaborator from the Department of Nature Protection.