The dream of a ‘kiwi corridor’ is ever closer as more of the iconic birds were recently released at Whangārei Heads.
One kiwi was named after community stalwart Murdoch Ross, who died last month. The kiwi was fittingly released on Ross’s family land in Parua Bay last Sunday.
Backyard Kiwi project manager Todd Hamilton said Ross was “a very special” community member and it was “humbling to honour him” this way.
Hamilton said kiwi numbers have risen from 80 to 1130 in the wider area in the 20 years Backyard Kiwi has been operating.
“That exceptional result is all due to dedicated local dog owners tying up their dogs and walking them on leads, and the sustained pest control involving predator trapping and pulses of ground-based 1080,” he said. “These things are critical to kiwi survival, and it’s why we can release four more kiwi here, right behind the Parua Bay Village.”