Kiwi Bird Rescued from Mine Shaft

Filed under: Endangered Birds,Kiwi Bird - 18 Mar 2013  | Spread the word !

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Besides kiwi birds becoming severely endangered, their fragile bodies, lack of flying abilities and poor eyesight can cause them to fall into many traps. This is how a great spotted kiwi bird fell into a mine shaft in a remote valley north of Greymouth, New Zealand.


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Luckily for the bird, a worker at the Department of Conservation came to its rescue after a member of the public heard its calls. Trevor Ellen was tramping in the headwaters of the Ten Mile Valley when he heard the kiwi’s call. He then followed the call to find a great spotted kiwi down the hole in the area which is full of abandoned coalmines and shafts, some of which being more than 100 years old.

The bird “was down in an old sinkhole from the 1800s, like a mine shaft. I couldn’t get him out on my own, so we went back the next day”, said Ellen.

The next day, Ellen returned early in the morning accompanied by Department of Conservation ranger Gavin Collins. The two embarked on a three-hour rescue mission.

The ranger attached a rope to a punga tree and lowered himself down. When he reached the bottom, the bird did not run away and let him pick it up. Either the kiwi was a juvenile, or it senses that the ranger was only trying to help it. The little bird droppings caused Collins to think that the kiwi had only been there a few days.

Working for the Department of Conservation, Gavin Collins said that he is used to climbing. However, his job requires his climbing skills more usually when it comes to checking out bat roosting sites.

Asked what were the chances of someone hearing the kiwi bird up the remote valley, he said it was “probably the luckiest kiwi around”. The bird was released back into the nearby bush to find its way back into the wild.

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Why Is The Kiwi Bird Endangered?

Filed under: Endangered Birds - 25 Jun 2012  | Spread the word !

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Photo by: Chris McLennan Photography Ltd

The kiwi bird is the representative specie of birds in New Zealand. The importance of this tinny creature comes from the fact that this is the place which it mostly inhabits around the world and that is why the bird is also seen as a national symbol. Unfortunately, the kiwi is on the list of the endangered birds, due to many factors, which, over the course of time, have affected the natural way in which it can make a living. The lifestyle of it is the one through which numerous risks surface and for which the organizations in New Zealand, which are concerned with animal and bird species in general or with the kiwi in particular, have started movements though which to protect this national symbol.

The reasons why this tinny bird is endangered are many. The first thing to consider is the one which has affected most of the animal and bird populations of the world – humans. This does not necessarily mean that people are out to get these animals and to harm them, but the evolutions of our societies, the expansions of the cities, the increasing rates of pollution are the ones to damage the habitat of all animals, not just of the kiwis. Unfortunately, for these little birds the effect is worse, because the area that they inhabit has been restricted from the start and now the matter is simply degrading. With a reduced habitat, the lifestyle of the kiwi is also affected. These birds are the ones which have nests on the ground and which require space for these, but which is no longer available in the same way.

In addition to the human factor, which has lead to various changes in the lifestyle of the kiwi bird, the danger of the predators is also a factor to consider. Wild dogs, but also domesticated ones, are known to attack these little creatures frequently. This leads to a reduction of the population of birds and, most of all, it affects the populations of the smaller birds, the ones that are barely developed and which cannot protect themselves in any way. All these aspects have lead to the slow diminishing of the kiwi bird population in the areas in which their numbers should be increasing all the time. The measures which are considered by the protection organizations are aimed at providing a safer place as a habitat for the birds.

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