<p>A rare white kiwi has died following surgery, prompting an outpouring of grief among conservationists in New Zealand.</p>

<p>Manukura was born at the Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre, with staff at the time not knowing she was white until she hatched. She was the first of three white kiwis that went on to be hatched at the wildlife centre during the 2011-2012 breeding seasons.</p>

<p>Manukura was not albino (where there is a lack of melanin that makes pigmentation white and features pink eyes), but, pure white, which means she was the rare progeny of two parents who carry the recessive white feather gene.</p>

<p>Manukura was an ambassador for Pūkaha, conservation and tourism in Wairarapa. Her popularity with the public spawned a Facebook page, soft toys, children’s books and other memorabilia.<br />
<br />
Her popularity spawned online with her very own Facebook page, and soft toys, children's books, and other memorabilia were created in her likeness.</p>

<p>People took to Twitter to share their memories of spotting the unique beauty, and pay respects.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Wairarapa was proud to be the home of Manukura. This is sad.<br />
<a href="https://t.co/WPKPJWYWeA">https://t.co/WPKPJWYWeA</a></p>
— Kieran McAnulty MP (@Kieran_McAnulty) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kieran_McAnulty/status/1343341045946281985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I was fortunate to see the pure white kiwi Manukura a year ago at Pūkaha. She was amazing, and I'm sad to hear she died yesterday. <a href="https://t.co/Jy9Mc8pjh1">https://t.co/Jy9Mc8pjh1</a> <a href="https://t.co/E6S8C4MqcE">pic.twitter.com/E6S8C4MqcE</a></p>
— André Brett (@DrDreHistorian) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrDreHistorian/status/1343359727674118145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">💔<br />
<br />
I'm so glad we got to visit her a few years ago.<br />
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You will be missed, Manukura. Thank you for being such a wonderful kiwi ambassador. <a href="https://t.co/PdBRZcwuMC">https://t.co/PdBRZcwuMC</a></p>
— Adri (@genericgeekgirl) <a href="https://twitter.com/genericgeekgirl/status/1343309935480889346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Really sad about <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Manukura?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Manukura</a> - saw her a couple of times, last time only a few weeks ago. Crazy wee lady, a real bundle of energy and fun. RIP beautiful critter <a href="https://twitter.com/PukahaMtBruce?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PukahaMtBruce</a></p>
— Simon Wood (@WoodOnWineNZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/WoodOnWineNZ/status/1343425607447638023?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></strong></p>


A rare white kiwi has died following surgery, prompting an outpouring of grief among conservationists in New Zealand. Manukura was born at the Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre, with staff at the time not knowing she was white until she hatched.

A rare white kiwi has died following surgery, prompting an outpouring of grief among conservationists in New Zealand. Manukura was born at the Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre, with staff at the time not knowing she was white until she hatched. She was the first of three white kiwis that went on to be hatched at the wildlife centre during the 2011-2012 breeding seasons. Manukura was not albino (where there is a lack of melanin that makes pigmentation white and features pink eyes), but, pure white, which means she was the rare progeny of two parents who carry the recessive white feather gene. Manukura was an ambassador for Pūkaha, conservation and tourism in Wairarapa. Her popularity with the public spawned a Facebook page, soft toys, children’s books and other memorabilia. Her popularity spawned online with her very own Facebook page, and soft toys, children's books, and other memorabilia were created in her likeness. People took to Twitter to share their memories of spotting the unique beauty, and pay respects. Wairarapa was proud to be the home of Manukura. This is sad. https://t.co/WPKPJWYWeA — Kieran McAnulty MP (@Kieran_McAnulty) December 27, 2020 × I was fortunate to see the pure white kiwi Manukura a year ago at Pūkaha. She was amazing, and I'm sad to hear she died yesterday. https://t.co/Jy9Mc8pjh1 pic.twitter.com/E6S8C4MqcE — André Brett (@DrDreHistorian) December 28, 2020 × 💔 I'm so glad we got to visit her a few years ago. You will be missed, Manukura. Thank you for being such a wonderful kiwi ambassador. https://t.co/PdBRZcwuMC — Adri (@genericgeekgirl) December 27, 2020 × Really sad about #Manukura - saw her a couple of times, last time only a few weeks ago. Crazy wee lady, a real bundle of energy and fun. RIP beautiful critter @PukahaMtBruce — Simon Wood (@WoodOnWineNZ) December 28, 2020 × (With inputs from agencies)

Rare white kiwi, Manukura, dies following surgery in New Zealand

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