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Rowi Project Blog
Chick rescue
Posted by Duncan – Rowi Team Leader
Friday, December 17th, 2010 at 3:26 pm
On Wednesday me and Ian Cooper (of Okarito Kiwi Tours) went to the Pakihi in Okarito Kiwi Zone to rescue an egg from BQ Pair (Fancy and Jolene). These birds are one of four pairs that are part of Ian’s kiwi tour.
We tracked into Fancy excited about a good incubation signal. When we got to the burrow we were able to get a hand in but could not find an egg. For a moment we were a bit confused but then Ian spied a chick sitting at the end of the burrow.
Me and the wee chick.
If we leave eggs and chicks in the wild they are unlikely to survive as stoats kill a huge proportion of these birds while they are too small to defend themselves. As it was quite an easy burrow to reach into, we successfully collected up the little bird and brought it back to the West Coast Wildlife Centre.
The wee rowi was given a health check and then place into a brooder with some food. It will live at the West Coast Wildlife Centre until it has put on a bit of weight and is ready to go to Motuara – our stoat-free creche island in the Sounds.
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In 1906, a Scottish-born inventor developed a revolutionary new shoe polish. He called it Kiwi polish. It was used by the British and American armies during World War I, and soon New Zealand soldiers became ‘Kiwis’.
