There are many conservation plans in place to help protect the kiwi, a small, defenceless, flightless bird of New Zealand. Two of the species are endangered, but action is being taken to prevent them moving closer to extinction, and to protect the three species still classified as "vulnerable".
The Kiwi Recovery Programme was initiated by the New Zealand government in 1991, and has been financially supported by the Bank of New Zealand and the Forest and Bird Society.
Research has been undertaken to learn more about the kiwi's needs and breeding habits. It is believed that 95% of young chicks do not survive past their first six months, and so captive breeding programmes have been established to improve the number of chicks. "Operation Nest Egg" involves the hatching of kiwi eggs in protected places such as Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre, Auckland Zoo or Native Bird Recovery Centre in Whangarei, and releasing the chicks when they are much older. This has increased the survival rate of chicks to as much as 85%. Also, the use of DNA testing has enabled people involved in breeding programmes to identify unrelated kiwi that would breed stronger chicks by minimising in-breeding.
In addition, there are kiwi sanctuaries at Coromandel, Tongariro Forest, Okarito, Haast and Whangarei.
Trust and protection plans include:
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