A new kiwi chick is the offspring of Tahi, the first kiwi born at the National Kiwi Hatchery in 1987. Photo / Supplied
Keepers at the National Kiwi Hatchery have announced the arrival of a special kiwi chick.
The newly-hatched chick, that arrived on March 31, is the offspring of a male called Tahi, who was the first kiwi chick born at the hatchery in 1987.
While in residence, Tahi sired 20 chicks
and fostered about 16 eggs. He was released into Ōtanewainuku Forest, Bay of Plenty in 2017 where the team hoped Tahi would establish a territory, find a mate and incubate more eggs in the wild.
"The team at the Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust have kindly kept us up to date with Tahi's progress and they've invited us to Tahi's health checks and egg lifts, which has been wonderful," hatchery manager Emma Bean said in a statement.
"Unfortunately, it took him a while to find a female and her first three eggs were not viable, so receiving two viable eggs from him earlier last month was incredibly exciting.
