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Source: ONE News -
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A special kiwi chick has been released back into the Waimarino Forest in the central North Island.
Mille is the 1000th kiwi chick to be born in captivity at Rainbow Springs Wildlife Park in Rotorua.
The young kiwi hatched in September last year, the same day that the All Blacks beat France in the group stage of the Rugby World Cup. It was given the French name "Mille" which translates to 1000 in English.
The six month old North Island brown kiwi now weighs 1.8kg which means she is now strong enough to go it alone.
Rainbow Springs has been involved in Kiwi conservation since 1995 and by keeping the young chicks in captivity for the first four months of their lives their chance of survival is increased by 75%.
"The survival rate of these chicks in the wild naturally is only 5% so by forming operation nest egg we've increased the chance of survival to around 80%," Kerry Oates from Enviro Research said.
The chick was released into its native habitat this afternoon in front of a small crowd. She has been micro-chipped so conservation workers can monitor her progress.
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