Wednesday
Kiwi Encounter.
Based in Rotorua at Rainbow Springs, Kiwi Encounter is the only purpose-built kiwi conservation centre open to the public in the world!
It was a unique opportunity for us to take a behind-the-scenes glimpse at kiwi conservation. We were able to observe how the eggs are incubated and watch kiwis as they foraged for food in an enclosure that is similar to their natural environment.
Just a few hundred years ago there were millions of Kiwi living in New Zealand. Today that population is declining so rapidly it is halving in size every 10 years and kiwi could be close to extinct by 2015.
Only 7% of young Kiwi surrive in the wild due to predators such as stoats, rats cats dogs & possums.
Kiwi encounter is a big part of of the kiwi recovery "Operation Nest egg" programme.
Kiwi eggs are removed from the wild and transported to Rainbow Springs where artificial incubation is carried out.
The success rate for the survival of young kiwi released back into the wild as part of this programme is 60% compared to 5% for those left in the wild without human intervention.
Kiwi Encounter.
Based in Rotorua at Rainbow Springs, Kiwi Encounter is the only purpose-built kiwi conservation centre open to the public in the world!
It was a unique opportunity for us to take a behind-the-scenes glimpse at kiwi conservation. We were able to observe how the eggs are incubated and watch kiwis as they foraged for food in an enclosure that is similar to their natural environment.
Just a few hundred years ago there were millions of Kiwi living in New Zealand. Today that population is declining so rapidly it is halving in size every 10 years and kiwi could be close to extinct by 2015.
Only 7% of young Kiwi surrive in the wild due to predators such as stoats, rats cats dogs & possums.
Kiwi encounter is a big part of of the kiwi recovery "Operation Nest egg" programme.
Kiwi eggs are removed from the wild and transported to Rainbow Springs where artificial incubation is carried out.
The success rate for the survival of young kiwi released back into the wild as part of this programme is 60% compared to 5% for those left in the wild without human intervention.
Then we went to the Rotorua Museum where the highlight was an audio visual show of the last volcanic eruption where the earth literally moved for us! (Our seats shook in sinc).
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