Zoo Miami will be giving Aotearoa legend, Paora the Kiwi, a brand new, top-tier, habitat after they mistreated him earlier this year.
Last month, footage of Paora being handled by visitors in a brightly lit room was posted on the New Zealand subreddit. Titled ‘Kiwi bird being treated like a lap dog in Miami Zoo’, the post caused outrage and led to Zoo Miami’s inboxes being bombarded by human Kiwis.
Ron Magill, the zoo’s communications director, immediately apologised for offending a whole nation and vowed that the petting sessions would stop, with a new, much more Kiwi-friendly, enclosure to be built for Paora ASAP.
Now, the Zoo has released its plans for the Kiwi’s new home, and they will be demolishing one of their gift shops to make it.
Stuff received the blueprints, sharing that the rear wall of the shop will be coming down to ensure a large area for Paora. Zoo Miami will also install laminated glass with a black tint which would dramatically reduce the amount of light coming into the enclosure.
A brand new adjustable lighting system will also be set up in Paora’s new crib - one that allows the light colour to change to a red that is invisible to kiwi birds. Deep soil will make up the floor and a six-inch deep pool will also be added to the enclosure.
Talking to Breakfast, Magill said that Paora is doing great at the moment, and the new enclosure will be world-class.
“Paora is doing very well,” he said. “He's been isolated in a building far away from any public, not exposed to any public since the incident."
“The bottom line is, we're constructing a habitat that we hope to be second-to-none for kiwis, for Paora. It's easy for me to tell you what we're gonna do, I can't wait for the day when I can show you when it's done."
He added that once construction starts, it will take “anywhere from six to nine months” for the new habitat to be ready.
Go on Paora, live large in the new crib and make us all proud. Shoutout to the zoo for doing the right thing too.
