Orana Wildlife Park's new kiwi enclosure has hatched its first incubated chick.
A 266 gram kiwi chick hatched at the Southern Encounter Aquarium & Kiwi House, 43 days after the egg was transferred for incubation from parent birds Tu, 5, and Ana, 3.
Southern Encounter Operations Manager, Dave Bradshaw said staff were delighted that the first viable egg produced at the attraction had hatched.
"We are stoked that Tu and Ana produced a chick. It is a credit to the team that a viable egg was produced in a Nocturnal House. "Our guides work hard to ensure that the birds live in a stress free environment. The fact that the egg was incubated in this display demonstrates they are relaxed in their environment,'' Bradshaw said.
"We take this opportunity to thank the public for their understanding whilst our Kiwi incubated the egg, as our Kiwi display was affected during this time".
Once the egg was harvested for artificial incubation (which is considered best practice in captivity), staff continually monitored the egg's development.
Staff performed a range of tasks including manually turning the egg four times each day and candling the egg twice each week (shining a light through the egg) to check growth rates and watch for any anomalies such as cracks or incorrect positioning of the chick.
Whilst Park staff are busy monitoring the new chick, a range of Kiwi transfers will commence this week.
A young female Kiwi is due to arrive from Otorohanga Kiwi House on Friday. Then, the Park will send a young female to Queenstown (Kiwi & Birdlife Park). These transfers will form two new breeding pairs. Tu and Ana will soon be transferred to Orana's outdoor breeding unit and two young Kiwi will then move to Southern Encounter.
