Claire Travers

Her job description says ‘kiwi husbandry manager’, but Claire says this has nothing at all to do with Kiwi husbands and a lot to do with conservation.

She is in charge of Kiwi Encounter’s kiwi incubation facility, a vital cog in BNZ Operation Nest Egg™.  With her team, Claire incubates eggs collected from the wild, then hatches and cares for the vulnerable kiwi chicks until they reach a weight of 1000 grams – after that they head back to their wild homes, better able to defend themselves against predators.

Why kiwi?

Claire joined Rotorua’s Rainbow Springs to work on its captive breeding programme for tuatara, and also helped look after all the park’s different bird species, including kiwi.  Over time, as the BNZ Operation Nest Egg™ programme grew, so did its need for staff.  By mid-2009, Claire has been incubating and hatching kiwi for more than 10 years, and has helped 950 kiwi chicks into the world.

High point

Watching kiwi chicks hatch is something Claire never tires of – ‘it is a miracle’, she says.  She also gets a kick out of seeing chicks leaving Kiwi Encounter, ready for release into a predator-free creche or back into the wild. ‘They are healthy, have grown well and quickly, and it’s great to see them off on the next step of their (hopefully) long life.’

Low point

A hard part of the job is nursing kiwi back to health after they have been caught in leg-hold possum traps. Their injuries can be terrible.

Thoughts for the future

Claire’s hope for the future is that kiwi will not need the same intensive care in order to survive in the wild. And she hopes that future generations of New Zealanders will continue the efforts to find sustainable methods to control predators.  Perhaps, one day, Kiwi Encounter will no longer need a kiwi husbandry manager.