First kiwi chick of the season hatches

First kiwi chick of the season hatches

The 2015/16 kiwi hatching season is officially underway at Rainbow Springs' Kiwi Encounter, with the team welcoming a fluffy new arrival.

The chick hatched at 11.20am on Saturday weighing in at 346g. From Tongariro, the chick's dad is called ‘Little Moa’, and its sibling in still in the incubation room and getting close to hatching as well.

Kiwi Encounter is New Zealand’s largest hatchery for brown kiwi and currently there are 17 eggs in incubation that have been brought in from around the North Island. It plays a crucial role in kiwi conservation and breeding as New Zealand’s largest and most successful kiwi hatching centre.

The team raises the chicks to a ‘stoat-proof’ weight of 1kg before relasing them back into the wild. Rainbow Springs has hatched and nurtured more than 1450 eggs since 1995 when it first became involved in the ‘Save the Kiwi’ recovery programme and this season will welcome its 1500th kiwi chick.

Rainbow Springs' involvement in kiwi conservation began in 1995 with the arrival of an orphaned egg and the hatchery has grown over the years to become the largest kiwi hatching facility in New Zealand, successfully incubating and hatching brown kiwi eggs from around the North Island.

To donate, or sponsor a kiwi, visit http://www.rainbowsprings.co.nz/donate

ENDS

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