A kiwi chick that had a rough start to life is now recovering after surgery to correct her beak. Prior to her birth 7 weeks ago, the chick’s dad wouldn’t incubate her before she hatched.
A kiwi chick that had a rough start to life is now recovering after surgery to correct her beak. Prior to her birth 7 weeks ago, the chick’s dad wouldn’t incubate her before she hatched.
The kiwi had been incubated artificially instead with help from staffers at Kiwi Birdlife Park in Queenstown, New Zealand. When it was time to hatch, employees noticed her foot was positioned over her head.
That left her unable to kick out of her shell. Park officials helped her get out and soon discovered she had a misaligned beak.
They knew if the beak was left that way, the chances of the creature surviving would be slim as she would have a difficult time feeding. The chick was flown to Wildbase Hospital at Massey University where vets had developed a new surgical procedure.
Dr Brett Gartrell remarked “It's taken two very delicate surgeries to bring the bill tip back into alignment without damaging the sensitive blood and nerve supply that kiwi need to be able to sense food at the end of their bills.”
The chick will eventually be released into the wild once she reaches a certain weight.
