Public Outcry Over Kiwi Bird’s Treatment Leads To Zoo Miami Apology

MIAMI, FL - After public outcry from New Zealanders upset by the treatment of a kiwi bird — the country’s national bird — Zoo Miami has issued an apology and ended public encounters with the bird.

Social media users protested the treatment of a kiwi named Paora after video footage of an encounter with the bird was shared across Twitter, Facebook and other platforms.

Paora was “mistreated” by Zoo Miami, according to a Change.org petition that has more than 12,000 signatures as of Wednesday morning. “Kiwis are our precious taonga, not America’s toys.”

In Māori culture, “taonga” refers to anything that is treasured, according to definitions.net. The Māori are the indigenous people of New Zealand.

“He has been tamed and is subjected to bright flourescent lighting 4 days a week, being handled by dozens of strangers, petted on his sensitive whiskers, laughed at, and shown off like a toy,” according to the Change.org petition. “Kiwi are nocturnal animals, who should be kept in suitable dark enclosures, and minimally handled. He is unable to exercise natural behaviour, which is one of the necessary freedoms outlined in the Animal Welfare Act. The best practice manual for kiwi states that they shouldn't be handled often or taken out of their burrow to be held by the public. He is kept awake during the day, with only a small box in a brightly lit enclosure to mimic his natural underground habitat.”

For a fee, Zoo Miami offered encounters with the kiwi, a flightless bird that is endangered, according to Earth.com.

“The treatment of this poor kiwi at Miami Zoo is appalling. I'm so mad about this. It's being kept awake during the day despite being a nocturnal species. When it runs to hide in a dark box, they open the lid. It's so upsetting to see taonga treated like this,” Holly Neill, a wildlife photographer from New Zealand, tweeted, along with a video of an encounter with the bird.

In a comment, Neill added, “For $23.36USD, Miami Zoo will let you disrupt a nocturnal, endangered kiwi by forcing it into artificial lighting and allow you to touch it. I'm so upset about the welfare of this kiwi.”

Since the backlash, the zoo has ended public encounters with the bird.

“First and foremost, on behalf of everyone at Zoo Miami, please accept our most profound and sincere apology for the stress initiated by a video on social media depicting the handling and housing of ‘Paora,’ the kiwi bird that is presently under our care,” the zoo said in a statement. “The concerns expressed by have been taken very seriously and as a result, effective immediately, the Kiwi Encounter will no longer be offered. Though Paora has thrived at Zoo Miami while receiving the best care available, the development of the Kiwi Encounter was, in hindsight, not well conceived with regard to the national symbolism of this iconic animal and what it represents to the people of New Zealand, especially the Maori.”

The bird is normally kept out of public view in a quiet area, the zoo added. “This area provides him with a special shelter that enables him to remain in relative darkness during the day so that he can, at his discretion, come out and explore his habitat in the quiet of evening.”

Zoo Miami said it now plans to build Paora a special habitat “that will continue to provide him with the shelter that he needs while respecting and supporting his natural instincts.”