There are just 450 rowi kiwis
left in the wild.
December 28 2017
A rare rowi kiwi hatched on
Christmas Day, earning the name Eggnog.
Eggnog was born at the West Coast
Wildlife Centre in Franz Joseph, on New Zealand’s South Island.
 |
| Eggnog the rowi kiwi (Nicki van Wyk/West Coast Wildlife Centre/PA) |
According to the park, rowi are
the rarest kiwi species in the world, with just 450 birds left alive in the
wild, but this was the 50th rowi kiwi to hatch at the centre this season, and
the 278th since it opened in 2010.
It took Eggnog five whole days to
crack its way out of its shell, after 77 days of incubation.
Mind-bogglingly, West Coast
Wildlife Centre staff will not be able to tell Eggnog’s gender for another
year, as male and female kiwis look the same for that period.
Rowis are also known as Okarito
kiwis because they are native to the Okarito forest on New Zealand’s
South Island. Their eggs have had to be removed from the forest due to
their vulnerability to stoats introduced to the area by humans.
The park says it hatches the eggs
and then transfers the birds to predator-free islands before releasing them
back into Okarito forest once they are less vulnerable.
No comments:
Post a Comment