Pets threaten kiwi breeders' success

Auckland Zoo's Todd Jenkinson checks three-day-old Bubbles. Picture / The Aucklander

Kiwi eggs are hatching thick and fast at Auckland Zoo, but staff say dogs are a major threat to the birds' survival once they are released into the wild in Northland.
Auckland Zoo's Andrew Nelson said their breeding success was in danger of being "snuffed out by out-of-control domestic dogs".

The zoo has a 93 per cent success rate with incubating, hatching, rearing and releasing kiwi and has successfully released 122 into the wild.

"In Northland areas without predator control, the kiwi population is declining by 4 per cent annually and halving every 18 years," said Department of Conservation national kiwi co-ordinator, research and monitoring, Hugh Robertson.

"But in areas that are intensively trapped, we're seeing an 18 per cent per annum increase in kiwi numbers."

DoC Whangarei kiwi ranger Sue Bell said: "We've sorted out how to increase chick survivorship through trapping their predators, but we still seem to be losing when it comes to educating people about their dogs.

"The birds we have released at Bream Head [Northland Reserve] appear to be doing really well, and we're still monitoring birds that were part of the first release in 2001, who are now breeding.

"In managed areas throughout Northland, we have a 62 per cent chick survival rate."

Mr Nelson said that was a great achievement but too many kiwi were still being killed by dogs.

Ms Bell said keeping dogs on a lead and knowing where they were at all times was "an absolute must".

In mid-August, two female kiwis, one of which was carrying an egg, were killed by dogs running loose in the Bream Head reserve.

"It's a classic example of kiwi deaths that could have been avoided."

She also said kiwi in Northland had a life expectancy of just 13 years, compared with 40 to 50 years in other areas, and that Northland's dog problem was a significant contributor to this shortened life expectancy.

- NZPA