Kiwi ‘Fish’ defies odds after surviving collision with vehicle on Whangārei Heads Road

Fish the Kiwi has now been released and is doing well.

A young male kiwi survived a brush with death last week, after being hit by a vehicle on Whangārei Heads Road.

The appropriately named “Fish” was picked up by a local fisherman after the 1300-gram kiwi was hit by a vehicle alongside Nook Road last Wednesday.

Backyard Kiwi’s Todd Hamilton believes the kiwi’s miraculous survival came down to where Fish was hit.

“Kiwi are very strong on the back,” he said, “and very fragile on the front”.

Hamilton believes Fish was near the road after being ousted out by other “territorial” kiwi.

“This young fella would’ve been pushed out and that’s why he was wandering down there,” he explained.

The “death zone” which Hamilton calls the area alongside Nook Road, has scrub on either side, which he said equates to “the perfect storm for getting run over”.

Hamilton, who estimates Fish to be around a year old, kept him in a box for the day for a sleep, gave him a health test and then let him go.

He is currently monitoring the kiwi on a temporary transmitter after releasing him onto some safe land away from roads.

On Sunday night transmitter signals showed Fish was active for nine hours, a miracle considering Hamilton “didn’t hold much hope” for his survival.

He told the Advocate that “nine times out of 10,” kiwi don’t survive being hit.

“Over the years I can only think of one or two others,” he said.

Hamilton said Fish was “lucky” to have hatched out at Whangārei Heads, which has good pest control.

The kiwi’s growth to the size of 1300 grams also makes him now “stoat proof,” according to Hamilton.

Fish will be fully grown in around five years if he continues to survive the near-miss.

Backyard Kiwi was planning to hold a separate kiwi release today, which has been cancelled due to some kiwi set for release showing signs of nesting.

One kiwi is still to be released onto private land in an intimate release, after a visit to Parua Bay School.

The land set for the kiwi’s release is dog free and has been pulsed with 1080.

According to Hamilton, quality pest control is a “cornerstone” of what Backyard Kiwi does.

Locals can also play a role in keeping kiwi safe. He encourages people to keep their dogs on leads and tied up at night.

A dog only has to “gently squeeze,” a kiwi, which results in catastrophic injuries.

Other tips include watching out for kiwi while driving at night. According to Backyard Kiwi, after dog attacks, road kill is the second highest cause of death for kiwi at Whangārei Heads.

Hamilton estimates 1130 kiwi are located in the Whangārei Heads area, however only a few are tracked.

You can track the kiwi monitored by Backyard Kiwi at this link.

Kiwi are a common sight along Whangārei Heads Rd, with some even seen during the day. In January, last year, a healthy adult kiwi was found at McLeod Bay on a Friday morning.

The rare daytime sighting of a healthy adult kiwi in McLeod Bay, Northland points to the extraordinary growth of the species in the area. The male kiwi, now aptly named Mcleod (with a lower case l), was spotted near the McLeod Bay playground by the waterfront after the nocturnal animal was likely disturbed before moving down to the water in search of food.

Hamilton, who co-ordinates the Whangārei Heads community’s kiwi conservation work, believed the kiwi had likely searched for food outside its normal environment because of drought conditions at the time.