The treatment of a kiwi at a zoo in Miami sparked a social media furore in New Zealand and an intervention by the country’s Department of Conservation, leading the zoo to issue an apology.
Pāora, a kiwi hatched at Zoo Miami, was part of a programme at the facility which allowed visitors to pet it for around $20, reported Insider.
Videos on social media showed the flightless bird being petted by visitors under bright lights. Users were left stunned and outraged as zoo staff allegedly neglected letting the bird take shade in the dark and forced it to stay up during the day.
The kiwi is a nocturnal bird.
A petition called “Save This Mistreated Kiwi” – that pointed to its ill treatment – has received nearly 12,000 signatures.
“He has been tamed and is subjected to bright fluorescent lighting four days a week, being handled by dozens of strangers, petted on his sensitive whiskers, laughed at, and shown off like a toy,” the petition said.
“Kiwi are nocturnal animals, who should be kept in suitable dark enclosures, and minimally handled. He is unable to exercise natural behaviour, which is one of the necessary freedoms outlined in the Animal Welfare Act.
“The best practice manual for kiwi states that they shouldn’t be handled often or taken out of their burrow to be held by the public. He is kept awake during the day, with only a small box in a brightly lit enclosure to mimic his natural underground habitat,” it said.
New Zealand’s Department of Conservation subsequently said in a statement on Tuesday that, while offshore kiwis are managed separately, they will be discussing the issue with non-profit American Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
On Wednesday, appearing on New Zealand’s national radio, zoo spokesperson Ron Magill said Zoo Miami had “made a huge mistake here”.
After receiving a flood of complaints, “I immediately went to the zoo director, and I said, we have offended a nation”, he was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
Prime minister Chris Hipkins also commented on the issue and said the incident “shows a lot of Kiwis take pride in our national bird when they’re overseas”.
“The New Zealanders who witnessed what was happening there caught it pretty quickly,” he said.
He said the zoo had “made public statements of regret on what’s happened, and I acknowledge that and thank them for taking it seriously”.
The bird has been returned to the dark, but will not be repatriated to New Zealand.
The zoo said the “kiwi encounter” programme that allowed zoo visitors to pet the bird would be ended immediately, and Pāora would no longer be exposed to fluorescent lights.
“We listened to everyone who wrote to us – and there were a lot,” Mr Magill said.
