You can contact LEARNZ, part of CORE Education, at:
Postal Address:
PO Box 13 678,
Christchurch 8141,
New Zealand
Threats to kiwi
Kiwi face threats from predators, loss of habitat and people.
Kiwi predators
- stoats
- cats
- dogs
- ferrets
- possums
- pigs
Other animal pests, such as hedgehogs, rodents and weasels, compete for the same food as kiwi. They are also prey for the same animals that attack kiwi, helping to keep the number of predators high.
Loss of habitat
Land clearance affects kiwi in three main ways:
- They can be killed when land is cleared.
- It creates smaller areas for kiwi and their predators.
- It means more competition for space, more boundary wars, less breeding, and more birds pushed out into farmland where they can be killed by dogs.
People
If you live near kiwi, and you own a dog or cat, your pet could be affecting your local kiwi population.
Some of the traps and poisons we use to kill possums can also harm kiwi. Traps and bait should always be placed at least 70 centimetres off the ground.
Another risk to kiwi comes if hunters leave possum remains lying where they were skinned. These attract predators, such as cats and stoats, and help their numbers grow.
Sometimes kiwi are killed on roads. Towns and cities are spreading even further into areas where kiwi live and today many roads cross through kiwi territory.
Kiwi have drowned in people’s swimming pools and in effluent ponds on farms. Others have died of starvation after falling into cattle stops, pits or holes.
- Try the threats to kiwi quiz.
Cats may seem to sleep all day, but at night they can hunt and roam up to 20 kilometres from home. Keep your cat inside at night if you live close to kiwi.