/ 01 December 2023

A momentous Kiwi moment

Image source: Dr Christine Stockum
Image source: Dr Christine Stockum

Conservationists are celebrating after 2 cute Kiwi chicks hatched in the wild near Wellington for the first time in a century. They say it’s “a very sweet milestone” because New Zealand’s national bird is one of the country’s most vulnerable since introduced predators and the loss of habitat brought their numbers down from 12 million to about 68,000. The chicks also point to another achievement – it means a conservation program known as ‘Capital Kiwi Project’ is successfully trapping predators and introducing hundreds of Kiwi birds around Wellington. And for an added dose of cuteness/fluffiness, an Indonesian sanctuary is toasting the birth of a critically endangered Sumatran rhino calf last week. Aww…

Know someone who'd be interested in this story? Click to share...

The Squiz Today

Your shortcut to being informed, we've got your news needs covered.

Get the Squiz Today newsletter

Quick, agenda-free news that doesn't take itself too seriously. Get on it.