
© Agence France-PresseA newly born kiwi chick at the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch
An endangered New Zealand kiwi has hatched safely, in a boost to conservation efforts. Named Richter, after the scale of the 7.0-magnitude quake this month, the chick hatched at the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch.
"Our first egg hatch this year is one breakage that is a welcome relief after the recent quakes," Kate Wilkinson, the country's Conservation Minister, said.
The ground-dwelling kiwi, the avian symbol of New Zealand, is threatened by a host of introduced predators including rats, cats, dogs, ferrets and possums.
Rory Newsam, a Department of Conservation spokesman, said there were fewer than 70,000 kiwis left in New Zealand and the rowi, the subspecies to which Richter belongs, numbered only 300.