Why are kiwi birds found only in New Zealand?
The ancestors of kiwis were on the land that split away from an ancient continent called Gondwanaland. The kiwis evolved only in New Zealand because of the special conditions here. There were no mammals such as porcupines or hedgehogs here, and the kiwis evolved to do what those animals do in other places, such as forage around for worms and insects. Have you ever held a kiwi bird? No, I’ve never held a kiwi. I’ve only seen them running away very fast into the bush at night! Kiwi are wild animals and should only be held if there is a real need to such as if they are trapped or need to be taken care of when injured. Where do you work on protecting the kiwi birds? In the Coromandel Peninsula (across from the Bay of Plenty in the North Island), we are involved in setting traps for ferrets and possums. The ferrets are predators of the kiwi, and the possums are damaging the forests where kiwis live. My main job is educating people about keeping their dogs out of the bush (the native vegetat
