A kiwi has died after wire found in her stomach led to a severe infection, Wellington Zoo announced today.
Rāwhiti the kiwi began "showing signs of sickness" last Wednesday after "being off her food for 2-3 days", the zoo said today on social media.
A recent health check had showed "no signs of illness".
Rāwhiti was taken to the zoo's animal hospital, The Nest Te Kōhanga, where x-rays found a "small fragment of wire" inside her stomach.
She was then taken to Massey University’s Wildbase Hospital for surgery, which discovered the metal fragment "had caused a severe infection that had already spread around her body".
"Kiwis are particularly resilient birds, which means they don’t often show signs of illness when they’re sick. By the time Rāwhiti showed symptoms and was taken to surgery, it was already too late," the zoo said.
Wellington Zoo's veterinary team made the decision to euthanise her on medical grounds rather than subjecting her to a "very risky and painful recovery with a low chance of survival".
The zoo said it was "not sure where the small metal fragment came from" as the kiwis' habitat, Te Ao Māhina The Twilight, had been thoroughly screened and sifted through – by hand and with a metal detector – for contaminants before undergoing a substrate change.
"In light of this news, there aren’t any kiwi living at Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo for the moment. We’re waiting to hear when this will change, and we’ll let you know as soon as we can," the zoo said.
"This is a difficult time for our Zoo whānau, and we appreciate all your aroha and care."
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