West Coast Wildlife Centre brooding room expansion

[Chlidonias]

West Coast Wildlife Centre Expanding Due to Kiwi... | Stuff.co.nz

20 July 2012

The West Coast Wildlife Centre has had to expand for the sixth time in 18 months to meet an influx of kiwi eggs expected this breeding season.

The centre, based in Franz Josef, is home to the official hatching and rearing programme for the world's two rarest kiwi - the rowi and Haast tokoeka.

This season alone, the centre was expecting to hatch up to 50 rowi eggs and 25 Haast tokoeka eggs.

The centre would complete a $120,000 fitout this month to meet the demand.

Director and owner Richard Benton was excited about the expected eggs.

"By upgrading the incubation and rearing facilities and introducing a kiwi 'hospital' for kiwi that are sick or injured and that are brought into us from the wild, we now have one of the most modern and up-to-date kiwi hatching facilities in New Zealand."

He said the brooder room, where the chicks are moved during their first month, had been doubled in size and could now hold a maximum of 26 chicks.

The egg-processing room, where eggs were checked and cleaned on arrival from the wild, had also been upgraded to increase hygiene standards.

The first kiwi eggs from the wild were due to arrive early next month and the first chicks should be hatching in early to mid-September.

The centre was developed in late 2010 as a public-private partnership between the Department of Conservation and Benton at a cost of over $2.5 million.

Visitors could go "behind the scenes" to see the kiwi hatching and rearing facilities, meet the team of kiwi rangers and see the world's rarest kiwi up close in the nocturnal house and bush walkway, Benton said.

$120,000 kiwi breeding expansion | Greymouth Star

With the 2012 kiwi breeding season fast approaching the West Coast Wildlife Centre at Franz Josef Glacier is opening an extension to cater for what is expected to be a huge influx of eggs.
The $120,000 extension includes an upgrade of the incubation and rearing facilities and the introduction of a kiwi ‘hospital’ for sick or injured kiwi.
“We now have one of the most modern and up-to-date kiwi hatching facilities in New Zealand,” West Coast Wildlife Centre owner-director Richard Benton said.
The brooder room — where the chicks are moved to during their first month — is more than twice the size it was and can hold up to 25 chicks at any one time. The egg processing room — where eggs are checked and cleaned on arrival from the wild, as well as the kiwi kitchen — have been upgraded to increase very stringent hygiene standards. It is the sixth time in 18 months the $2.5m centre has expanded.
Since opening in November 2010, the centre, working in partnership with the Department of Conservation, has released 42 of the world’s two rarest kiwi — the rowi from Okarito and the Haast tokoeka — as part of the BNZ Operation Nest Egg programme.
The first of an anticipated huge influx of kiwi eggs are due to start arriving early next month at the centre where it is expected up to 50 rowi and 25 Haast tokoeka eggs will be hatched this season. The centre has been well supported by businesses, dedicated locals and visitors.
Senior kiwi ranger Bridget Wrenn said they encouraged any visitors to Franz Josef Glacier to drop in and see for the facility for themselves.
“Visitors can go behind the scenes and see for themselves the kiwi hatching and rearing facilities, meet the dedicated team of kiwi rangers and see the world’s rarest kiwi’s up close in the nocturnal house and bush walkway.”

I visted the centre the other week and put a bunch of photos here: West Coast Wildlife Centre Gallery

 

[zooboy28]

So will it be possible to see both species there now (they only had rowi on display previously didn't they)?

Does not 6th expansion in 18 months suggest poor planning? Is it known what proportion of this public-private partnership was paid for by the public?

 

[Chlidonias]

I think they have only ever had Okarito brown chicks on display in the kiwi house itself. I had been intending to ask about that when I was there and I forgot to do so, but certainly the impression I've always had was that only Okaritos are displayed as such. The Haast brown kiwi are only viewable as chicks in the brood room tour, if there are any there at the time. Right as of this very moment the only species viewable there are two ten-month-old Okarito browns in the kiwi house (there are no eggs at the moment and the brood rooms are being renovated). What I was told was that they usually have four young Okarito browns in the kiwi house for display (the implication I took from that being no Haasts).

Previously the ONE programme for Okaritos and Haasts was undertaken at Willowbank, and then also at Franz Josef after that facility opened in late 2010. Now the ONE programme for both of these kiwi is taken care of solely at Franz Josef, so I think that's the most likely reason for the expansions rather than poor initial planning. The more successful the programme the more eggs get produced and the more room is required. Although I guess that could be seen as poor planning.

I'll see if I can find out the funding side of things.

 

[Hix]

Why are they bringing in Kiwi eggs from the wild?



Hix

 

[Chlidonias]

Why are they bringing in Kiwi eggs from the wild?

see here for Operation Nest Egg: Operation Nest Egg? - BNZ Save the Kiwi Trust

Basically something like 95% of kiwi chicks don't survive in the wild due to predation by introduced mammals such as stoats etc. The adults don't look after the chicks, so within a few days of hatching these unwary little balls of feathers are poking around in the forest for food, and they are knocked off left, right and centre. With the ONE programme, eggs are incubated artificially and the chicks are released when older (6 months to a year) when they are less vulnerable.

 

[Hix]

Sounds like a good program. Do they keep any of the hatchlings in captivity for later breeding purposes?



Hix

 

[zooboy28]

Sounds like a good program. Do they keep any of the hatchlings in captivity for later breeding purposes?



Hix

I don't think they do, probably ONE is enough to prevent a declining wild population, and DOC is probably not interested in maintaining a captive population as well (only North Island Brown - the most abundant kiwi taxa, has a captive breeding programme). Plus that would mean more costs for all involved, without bringing in any more visitors.

 

[Chlidonias]

pretty much what zooboy28 says above. There are only I think 16 kiwi permit holders in the country and there will be no more permits given out (at least as far as things stand now). So, for example, even though one might say Hamilton Zoo "needs" a kiwi house they aren't going to get one. Southern Encounter only got a kiwi house because it was covered by the Orana permit, and Franz Josef sort of got in through a loophole (because they were setting up basically as a ONE brooding facility).

DoC doesn't really want any kiwi in captivity apart for the North Island browns for advocacy purposes, and those are bred enough to easily maintain the captive numbers (in fact many captive-bred birds get released as well). So all ONE chicks from great spotted kiwi, Okarito brown kiwi and Haast brown kiwi are released when old enough, either into the original range where the eggs came from, or into new ranges and on islands. I guess potentially some North Island brown chicks could be retained for captive breeding (I don't really know) but if so it would be a minimal number.

 

[Chlidonias]

There are only I think 16 kiwi permit holders in the country and there will be no more permits given out (at least as far as things stand now). So, for example, even though one might say Hamilton Zoo "needs" a kiwi house they aren't going to get one. Southern Encounter only got a kiwi house because it was covered by the Orana permit, and Franz Josef sort of got in through a loophole (because they were setting up basically as a ONE brooding facility).

I've just been going through some records, and it turns out that there are proposals underway for Hamilton Zoo and Paradise Valley Springs to receive kiwi. Seems like the goal-posts are being moved again. Hamilton Zoo actually already has a kiwi permit, which I didn't know (and has had one kiwi before, in their free-flight aviary); they have plans for a nocturnal house but the acquisition depends on the local council approval/funding. Paradise Valley plans on having a nocturnal hosue as well in the near future.