MALCOLM PULLMAN
Kiwi are dying in some of
the most heavily-monitored areas of New Zealand, sparking concern
for the rare bird elsewhere.
Data on the cause of kiwi
deaths in Northland for the past ten years, which was released under the
Official Information Act (OIA), has revealed they are being attacked by
dogs and killed by cars, while a large number are dying for reasons
unknown.
But the data is for tracked
kiwi only, and the Department of Conservation say the deaths are just a
fraction of actual moralities.
At
least five kiwi were mauled to death by dogs in
the Moehau Kiwi Sanctuary area, in the Coromandel, since
Easter.
Last week, Moehau Environment
Group chairwoman Lettecia Williams said it was the worst
pile-up of dead kiwi the sanctuary has seen since protection was first put in
place about 2000.
The area experienced a
noticeable decline in kiwi, which would suggest the eight deaths were just a
fraction of other unreported deaths.
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