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CONSERVATION

Helping Kiwis

Tuesday 17 July 2012, 12:27PM

By DPP

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The Brown kiwi is rapidly declining in numbers on the New Zealand Mainland, with the kiwi population halving about every 10 years. The conservation programme that Kiwi Encounter is a part of, aims to try and slow the decline of kiwi, and hopefully turn kiwi numbers around.

Each chick stays at Kiwi Encounter for an average of six months and the cost for their stay is anywhere between $1,500.00 - $4,000.00. This cost is currently funded by Rainbow Springs, Sponsor’s and by public admissions into Kiwi Encounter, but this alone does not cover the increasing costs of operating.

Yates, sponsorship of the Kiwi Encounter facility, along with the on-going support it provides for the West Coast Wildlife Centre and Willowbank Park, Christchurch, ensures ongoing research into kiwi incubation and rearing techniques.

The benefits for kiwi conservation are:

1. We have greater capacity to handle more eggs and chicks.

2. A team of qualified staff and specialist equipment to do more conservation work.

3. Kiwi Encounter is a wonderful educational facility for the advocacy of kiwi.

4. People visiting Kiwi Encounter will now be helping to fund the facility thereby directly contributing to kiwi conservation.

The opening of Kiwi Encounter has also provided an ideal facility for the continuation of research. Areas currently under research are the refinement of incubation parameters for kiwi eggs in force draft incubators, matting trials to monitor the effect of different substrates for young chicks in the brooder room prior to them going outside. And growth rates and coccidia screening trials for disease management.

Yates New Zealand is a proud sponsor and will continue to be involved in this worthy project.