It may be that some simple changes to how we go about our daily business can also help the kiwi. Read on for some tips on how to make
New Zealand safer for kiwi:
Cat and Dog-owners
It may not look like a killer to you, but that lovely, friendly, gentle family dog is a danger to kiwi.
All dogs regardless of size, breeding or training, are potential kiwi-killers. This is why even trained and certified kiwi dogs have to wear muzzles – just in case.
We should not underestimate the role of dogs…And the story of the Waitangi Forest German Shepherd in which more than 800 kiwi were thought to be killed in just six weeks, is now just a sad legend.
Likewise, wild or abandoned cats are a threat to kiwi, especially young chicks. Along with the kiwi’s arch predator, stoats, cats account for the deaths of 70 per cent of chicks under six months of age.
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What Can You Do?
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Keep your dog on a leash at all times when out and about in kiwi areas – a kiwi can be caught and killed in seconds
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Keep your dog tied up or inside at night – freely roaming dogs are a menace to kiwi
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Never abandon unwanted cats or dogs in the wild – it is cruel to them and cruel to kiwi
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Keep cats inside at night if you live in a kiwi zone – they may look like they sleep all the time, but cats have been clocked roaming up to 20-kilometres from home
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Farmers and Landowners
A lot of people think kiwi just live in forests. In fact, you can find these unique birds in a huge range of habitats - from native forest and scrub to rough farmland and plantation forests, sand dunes and snowy tussocks. Because they are soil feeders, kiwi prefer places where they can get straight to the dirt, rather than having to delve through the thick leaf litter of a forest floor.
If you own or work on land where kiwi may live, here are some things you can do:
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Find out whether you have kiwi in your area
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Keep your dogs under close control day and night. If you have kiwi living nearby, avoid taking your dogs into these areas
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Impound any dogs you find on your property without permission
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If you allow hunters on your land, make sure their dogs are 'kiwi-safe' - that they have received training to avoid kiwi
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Fence stock out of kiwi habitat to allow the forest to regenerate
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Control kiwi predators such as possums, pigs, wild cats, stoats and ferrets
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Consider covenants or other protection for areas of native forest and shrubland. Nga Whenua Rahui kawanata (covenants) are an option for Maori landowners
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Let neighbours and visitors know that kiwi live here. Contact your local Department of Conservation office and ask them to come and talk with your community about kiwi
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Foresters
The huge changes we have made to New Zealand’s original habitats mean kiwi have had to be adaptable. Today they live in a diverse range of vegetation types, including exotic forests and rough farmland. Take Brown Kiwi - in Northland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and inland Taranaki Brown Kiwi live in exotic pine forests.
If you own or manage a plantation forest, here are some things you can do:
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Plant your forest in small compartments which vary in age so birds have a chance to find a new home when you harvest your trees
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Avoid burning if you can. If you have to burn, allow at least two months between logging and burning off. This gives the ground time to dry and encourages any resident kiwi to move elsewhere
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Leave corridors of native vegetation in steep areas and along streams and rivers for wildlife. More than kiwi will thank you
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Hunters
The time hunters spend in the hills, the remote places they visit, and their bush skills, mean they often see things that others may miss.
If you take to the hills to go hunting, here are some things you can do to help save kiwi:
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Report any sign that you may see or hear of kiwi
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If you are going into a known kiwi area, please leave your dogs at home
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If you lose your dog, report this to your local Department of Conservation as soon as you can
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If you see any lost dogs or dogs roaming unattended, let your local Department of Conservation know as soon as you can
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Possum Trappers
It is sad but true - killing possums can kill some kiwi.
Although possums hunters are playing a valuable role in helping protect New Zealand forests and animals from these hungry Australian immigrants, as well as helping reduce the problem to farmers of bovine tuberculosis, some of the techniques we use to kill possums can also sometimes kill kiwi.
If you are a possum hunter, here are some things you can do to help save kiwi:
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Talk with local Department of Conservation or Regional Council staff about kiwi-safe ways to set traps
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Set any leg hold traps at least 70-centimetres off the ground, well out of reach of kiwi.
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Depending on how big and remote your operation is, consider using other types of traps – such as Timms or Victor soft-jaw traps
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Mount all cyanide baits at least 70-centimetres off the ground - not just on fallen logs
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Dispose of the skinned carcass if you can so that wild cats are not attracted to an area where kiwi chicks might live
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