‘Hands on’ kiwi experience in Miami raises concerns
WELLINGTON: Disturbing footage has emerged of a ‘‘hands on’’ kiwi experience at Miami Zoo — where visitors have likened the bird to a puppy.
In the video, the kiwi is on display in a fully lit room, with no greenery to mimic its usual habitat, and zoo visitors gathered round — excitedly getting a closeup experience with it.
The Department of Conservation said it was taking its concerns to the zoo over how the bird was being treated.
The kiwi is called Paora, named after iwi leader and environmentalist Paora Haitana.
He travelled to Miami for its unveiling, and said yesterday it was never meant to be handled like a pet in broad daylight.
In the video that Zoo Miami posted to social media, visitors surrounded Paora as he sat on a table under bright lights, despite being a nocturnal creature.
‘‘He loves being pet. He’s like a little dog and he loves his head being pet,’’ the keeper in the video said.
Another video showed Paora in a brightly lit enclosure before retreating to the darkness of his hutch.
Just a few seconds later, the keeper opened the door and exposed him to the light again.
‘‘He’ll stand there until it gets dark before he goes in the box . . . so he wants to be in the dark and go back to sleep.’’
While he was not immediately able to view the video himself, a description over the phone was enough to cause Mr Haitana real concern.
‘‘It’s our signature, we’re known as the kiwi, so it goes against everything the bird was given to them for.’’
The bird should have been kept in darkness and he was worried it would have damaged its eyesight, Mr Haitana said.
It was his understanding that the bird would be looked after in a way that was consistent with how they were cared for in New Zealand.
‘‘It’s a taonga and absolutely it was given in good faith that it would be managed, controlled and looked after by Miami Zoo, so it’s a concern, huge concern.’’
The zoo’s website advertised kiwi encounters for $US25 ($NZ40), for an experience guests would ‘‘cherish forever’’.
But Ngaire Sullivan, who works for Kiwicoast in Northland, said the experience should not be on offer to begin with.
‘‘Preferably they should never be handled.
‘‘They should be able to be flourishing in the wild.’’
In particular, the opportunity to touch the kiwi was concerning.
‘‘We have to be extremely careful, especially of their head and their beak, and most importantly, not to handle them around the chest.
‘‘You just have to be a trained person to be able to handle them safely without causing them lifethreatening injuries.’’
The kiwi should also have been secured while sitting on the table, Ms Sullivan said.
Department of Conservation guidelines for handling kiwi state kiwi must not be regularly taken out of their burrows just for the purposes of allowing people to see and touch them.
According to the zoo’s website, they offered kiwi encounters four times a week.
None of what happened in Miami would ever happen here, Ms Sullivan said.
‘‘We would never be allowed to do that anywhere in New Zealand . . . All the kiwi houses in New Zealand are nocturnal houses.
‘‘There’s no kiwi being scratched on its head in front of you. There’s not a kiwi sitting on a table . . .’’
In a statement, Department of Conservation director of terrestrial biodiversity Hilary Aikman said kiwis in America were managed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and they would be raising concerns with Miami Zoo to try to improve the housing and handling situation.
Miami Zoo was approached for comment. — RNZ