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Kiwi being released - Source: ONE News -
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Auckland Zoo has reached a milestone with the 200th and 201st kiwi to be incubated and hatched at zoo being released on Motuora Island in the Hauraki Gulf.
The two kiwis are part of the BNZ Operation Nest Egg programme which has been running since 1996.
As part of the programme, kiwi eggs are pulled from the wild in Northland, incubated and released into a pest-free zone for a year or so while they get strong enough to protect themselves against predators.
Northland brown kiwi have been struggling against predators for years and Auckland Zoo's NZ Fauna curator Ian Fraser says the 200 birds they have released could produce up to 7,000 eggs over their lifetimes.
Given the Northland kiwi population is only about 8500 birds, he says that is a significant contribution.
Without predators such as rats, cats and dogs on the island, it
is hoped the pair's easier start in life will see the juvenile kiwi
grow up and expand the kiwi population.
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