New Zealand enraged over mistreatment of a kiwi bird in a Miami zoo
Poara being mistreated at a Miami zoo
Videos of Poara - a kiwi bird being handled and petted by guests at a Miami zoo under bright lights, which went viral on social media platforms on Tuesday, May 23, have prompted uproar in New Zealand. Guests were able to pet New Zealand's national bird for around $25 USD at the Miami Zoo.
The treatment of the kiwi bird at the zoo has enraged thousands of New Zealanders, who then launched a furious campaign to bring their national bird home and also pressed the zoo to apologise.
Uproars from New Zealanders
Within hours of the video going viral, nearly 9,000 people signed a petition titled ‘Save this mistreated kiwi’ and several others flooded the zoo’s email with their complaints about the mistreatment of this little creature.
The issue resulted in a government intervention from the Department of Conservation (DOC), New Zealand. Prime Minister of New Zealand, Chris Hipkins also commented on the matter.
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Several Twitter handles also posted the video of the bird being petted by guests at the zoo.Holly, a wildlife photographer, in her recent tweet, wrote: “The treatment of this poor kiwi at Miami Zoo is appalling. It's being kept awake during the day despite being a nocturnal species. When it runs to hide in a dark box, they open the lid”.
Miami zoo apologises for the mistreatment
On Wednesday, May 24, in an interview on national radio, the zoo spokesperson Ron Magill said that the zoo had “made a huge mistake here”. He further added that “I immediately went to the zoo director, and I said, we have offended a nation”.
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Following this development, PM Hipkins in his interaction with the media stated that it was good to see the zoo acknowledge what they were doing was inappropriate. Hipkins also said that the DOC will work with local zoos to provide them guidance on how to properly care for the kiwi bird.
The national symbolism of the kiwi bird
Kiwis - the national bird of New Zealand are unique, flightless and exclusive to New Zealand and are deeply beloved. It is considered a taonga (a cultural treasure).
However, their numbers are on a decline as most of their populations are unprotected from predators. New Zealand is deeply dedicated towards the welfare of its endemic birds and there are several ongoing national campaigns to wipe out predators and save the endangered birds.
(with inputs from agencies)
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