A video of a kiwi at a Florida zoo being petted and put up for selfies has caused outrage online, with concerned New Zealanders launching a petition to “help save” the bird.
Visitors to Miami Zoo are charged $40 for an up-close encounter with Paora the brown kiwi, who an expert says would be “terrified” by the experience.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is to raise concerns with the US regarding the housing and handling situation.
Paora was hatched at the zoo in April 2019 from an egg laid by a bird at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington D.C. That zoo was the first to hatch a brown kiwi, outside of Aotearoa, in 1975.
Videos shared online show Paora being handled, petted and posed for selfies.
In one video, visitors are told that kiwi are usually kept in darkened exhibits and a clip shows the bird rushing back into darkness as soon as a keeper places him on the ground.
A petition to “help save” Paora is being circulated online, attracting 2500 signatures by 9pm on Tuesday.
“Please help either change this little guy’s habitat or bring him home!” it pleads.
Aikman said there was a 60-strong population of kiwi offshore and the standards of care are not governed by the same body that protects the bird on our shores.
“In New Zealand, we have specific standards to handle and care for kiwi, both in the wild and in captivity,” Aikman said.
“Kiwi are a taonga species and are treasured by all New Zealanders. The protection and welfare of kiwi is a high priority.”
The care of kiwis in America is governed by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA).
New Zealand's governing body the Zoo and Aquarium Association, grants accreditation to if they have “clearly demonstrated their commitment to positive welfare”.
“We thank those who have brought this to our attention and we will raise these concerns with Miami Zoo, via the AZA, to try to improve the housing and handling situation,” Aikman said
Robert Webb from Whāngarei’s Native Bird Recovery Centre told The New Zealand Herald that he believed kiwi should only be in captivity if they could not survive in the wild - but took particular exception to what he saw in the video.
“I don’t think that bird will last long,” he said, adding that Paora appeared to be distressed by his treatment.
“You’ll notice he’s got his eyes closed nearly the whole bloody time when they’re touching him. He’s terrified.”
Webb, who has cared for hundreds of kiwi over the years, told the Herald that the birds are extremely sensitive animals, saying even the sound of paper being shredded “scares the hell out of them” and said Paora “won’t survive” if he continues being handled in the manner seen in the videos.
Webb compared Paora’s treatment at Miami Zoo to the marine mammals at Florida’s SeaWorld.
“Animals are born to be free, not kept in cages. They’ll flog the hell out of that and I bet they make good money out of it."
He believed the zoo’s approach was “totally wrong” and encouraged breeding animals just to “show off” and make money.
Many New Zealanders who viewed the videos online agreed, with a popular post on Reddit suggesting that Paora was being “treated like a lap dog”.
The way that the bird was presented to visitors under lights was contrasted to the darkened ‘kiwi house’ well-known in Aotearoa, with one user saying the stark contrast made them “feel a bit uncomfortable”.
Aiden Gilbert, chair of the Uenuku Charitable Trust, told the Herald that, based on what they had seen in the videos, they did not support the actions of Miami Zoo.
Gilbert said Uenuku had been initially involved in advising the zoo on kiwi care and two iwi representatives had travelled to the US when Paora hatched, including the man the bird was named after, conservationist Paora Haitana.
Miami Zoo and the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) have been contacted for comment.
