Endangered kiwi have been reintroduced to the hills of New Zealand's capital, Wellington, after an absence of more than a century. The milestone was marked by the release of seven birds late on Tuesday night, bringing the total number relocated to the area to 250 since the project began.
The initiative, led by the Capital Kiwi Project, a charitable trust, aims to restore the flightless bird to its ancestral lands. Paul Ward, the project's founder, said the kiwi are central to New Zealanders' identity and sense of belonging. 'But they've been gone from these hills for well over a century and we decided as Wellingtonians that wasn't right,' he said.
Historically, an estimated 12 million kiwi roamed New Zealand before human settlement. Today, only around 70,000 remain nationwide, with the population declining by 2 per cent annually. The birds have been threatened by introduced predators such as stoats, which prey on kiwi chicks.
To protect the new population, a 24,000-hectare tract of land has been established, dotted with more than 5,000 traps for stoats. The efforts have resulted in a 90 per cent chick survival rate in the Wellington area. The project has involved landowners, the local Māori tribe, and community volunteers.
Before their release, the seven kiwi were taken to New Zealand's Parliament, where politicians and schoolchildren saw the birds up close for the first time. Ward said the project challenges civic leaders to honour the relationship between New Zealanders and the kiwi. 'This animal has given us as a people so much in terms of our sense of identity,' he said.
