GREAT SPOTTED KIWI CONSERVATION PROGRAMME.

Today I have been priveledged to record the release of a juvenile Great Spotted Kiwi in Riccarton Bush, Christchurch by the Department of Conservation and the Riccarton Bush Trust. This scene is only 3.5 km from the devastation of the Christchurch CBD from the 22 February earthquake. The Kiwi egg that hatched this chick was incubated at a special facility at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve after being taken from a nest in the wilds of the Arthurs Pass National Park.
The chick weighs just .75kg and will be released back into the wild when it reaches 2kg. A mature adult bird weighs 3kg and is the largest of the remaining Kiwi species.