In a world that includes penguins, flamingos, and vampire finches, I still feel safe in saying that there are no stranger birds in the world than the kiwis. Nicknamed the "Honorary Mammal," the birds are flightless, nocturnal, solitary, and covered with feathers that more closely resemble fur. They hunt their prey by scent and lay eggs that are ridiculously out of proportion of their body size. Seeing one of these enchanting birds is a unique opportunity, as very few zoos outside of their native New Zealand house them... and even if they do, good luck seeing them. The birds are extremely hard to observe in their habitats - I only have a single memory of, as a visitor, going to a zoo and seeing a kiwi from a public exhibit area.
The National Zoo (which no longer has kiwis on public display, but does maintain and breed them at their off-site facility in Front Royal) used to rectify this by offering a "Meet a Kiwi" program a few times a week, in which a specially trained, habituated ambassador kiwi was wheeled out on a cart for small groups of people to observe. Perhaps this was the inspiration for Zoo Miami's kiwi encounter program with their bird, a male named Pāora. Unlike National Zoo's program - which, to be fair, took place in an era less-dominated by social media - the reaction from much of the public was... decidedly less positive.
I'd always known that kiwis held a special place in the hearts and culture of New Zealanders, who will refer to themselves as kiwis. I hadn't realized how intense it was, extending to a strong disapproval of seeing kiwis handled. Pictures of the Miami program - which featured the kiwi under regular lighting (as was the case in DC, from my recollection) and being handled prompted an outrage in New Zealand. It wasn't helped by the fact that there were some rumors that the kiwi in question was the product of an egg that had been smuggled form New Zealand (completely untrue - the egg was laid in Front Royal and hatched in Miami). There were calls for New Zealand to demand the repatriation of the bird (which there is no legal basis for - the bird is owned by Miami, not New Zealand). And all of this brewing in just a day or so.
Miami, to their credit, got ahead of it as best they can. They assured everyone that the bird was in good health and not being mistreated, acknowledged that seeing the kiwi handled in light was jarring and upsetting for many New Zealanders, apologized for the offense, and announced an end to the kiwi encounter program. Pāora will remain off-exhibit until a new nocturnal habitat is built for him.
It's sometimes jarring how quickly public perceptions of animal care can change. By responding quickly, Miami seems to have largely calmed critics - kiwi-focused NGOs in New Zealand have declared themselves satisfied with the outcome. I'll share my thoughts on the controversy in the next post.
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