28 Sep 2010

More traps laid after kiwi killed in national park

4:01 pm on 28 September 2010

The Department of Conservation is laying more traps in a Nelson national park, following the death of a kiwi in its breeding programme.

The 2.5-kilogram great spotted kiwi, which was part of a recovery project being run in the Nelson Lakes National Park, was found dead a week ago by DoC rangers.

Because of the body's decay DoC says it is impossible to say what killed it, though it may have been a dog. Dogs are prohibited in national parks.

DoC's Rotoiti nature recovery project team leader, Grant Harper, says the kiwi was unlikely to have been killed by a feral cat or stoat.

DoC has laid 75 new traps to protect the 21 remaining kiwi.