Matt the Kiwi dad protects egg from floodwaters | Stuff.co.nz Presumably this is an off-display enclosure.
Christchurch has been hit with major flooding over the last week (since the earthquakes the water table is now permanently much higher than it used to be, meaning flooding is likely to become common during heavy rains; on the other side of the coin, wetland areas have been increasing dramatically in size because of the higher water table, providing more habitat for wetland birds). Willowbank is situated right next to the Styx River (in fact it flows through the park) and so is prone to flooding. I had a google but can't find anything about the situation there now so I'm not sure if it was serious or not. Willowbank has a number of on-display outdoors kiwi enclosures (they do night tours there) so this may have been one of those ones.
I have heard some different accounts about how Christchurch's wetlands are faring now, apparently the Salt Marshes are dying off, potentially causing marsh crake, bittern and pukeko poulations to fall, but then other areas are clearly expanding and creating new habitat, especially for such wetland species. Here is a recent article: Nature Reclaiming Christchurch Suburbs | Stuff.co.nz Does willowbank keep anything else with its kiwis? Clearly an outdoor exhibit is going to be boring for visitors during the day, but if they were in aviaries also housing tui, bellbirds, kingfishers, wood pigeons, etc, that would be more interesting. Or are they not aviaries, just fenced?
I actually put a thread about that exact article in the Conservation section (http://www.zoochat.com/65/nature-reclaiming-quake-ravaged-areas-christchurch-284087/), but it is really only concentrating on Bexley's salt-marshes and the reference in it to bitterns losing habitat there is a bit silly because while a whole lot of bitterns have just moved into Bexley (about eight of them) it's the first time they've been recorded there in decades!! Also the pukekos breed all over the city so the loss of the salt-marshes (if it happens) won't really impact on them. In other parts of the region lake and swamp areas have increased, meaning more extensive raupo beds which is where bitterns actually live. Whether the changes to a wetland area are productive for the local birds or a detriment is a case-by-case situation (mostly it is a good thing though). Anyway, back to Willowbank: I had a look on their website to see if they have a map to show the pens but I couldn't see one. They have a nocturnal house for the kiwi, and after you exit that there is an area you walk through with the outdoor pens. I did have a photo of the area in the gallery but it appears to have been purged. On the right side of the path is a pond area with mute swans and formerly a white heron (he wasn't there last time I visited), on the left are the kiwi pens. There are more outdoors pens before the kiwi house as well. Both of these areas are where you see them during the night tours. Taking the NZ section as a whole, its quite a long winding path through a bush setting so its pretty nice. The smaller aviaries tend to be scattered along the way so its not just cage after cage, and I think that might be why you don't tend to notice that you're not seeing anything when walking through the kiwi pen areas (although there are signs there saying something like "Quiet, kiwi breeding area"). First there's a small aviary with kakariki, a rescued native pigeon and some little owls. After a little walk further there's a sort of Maori villagey sort of thing with little huts that you always see the tourists peering into thinking the kiwi are hiding inside (lots of signs along the path saying "kiwi this way"). Keep walking and you pass the buff weka enclosure, and then enter the Alpine Aviary (mainly for kea) which joins onto a walk-through bush aviary (with barely a native bird in sight). In here is also the entrance to the native reptile house and adjoining kiwi brood room and a falcon aviary. Exiting the walk-through bush aviary you are in the first of the kiwi pen areas, then you pass the takahe enclosure which is next to the nocturnal kiwi house. Exiting the kiwi house is a kaka aviary, and the second of the kiwi pen areas, followed by an aviary for native pigeons (formerly the blue duck aviary), a weird fake cave-tunnel with ferrets, then moreporks and a possum cage (formerly Antipodes parakeets), and finally you pass the trout pools and are back at the start. It is all done nicely (although not so fun in winter when everything gets quite muddy) and I think because of the way it's set up you don't find the inter-aviary bits boring, but rather scenic instead I guess. I reckon you'd really like the park. In terms of flooding Willowbank has been flooded badly in previous years and sometimes animals (including kiwi) have had to be rescued from their enclosures.
Thats probably where I first got the link to that article then, and subsequently forgot about it, and just thought I had found it myself on Stuff. Thanks for the info Chlidonias, I will have to visit some time, its certainly the biggest zoo in NZ I haven't visited, along with Zion.
I think you'll get more from Willowbank than Zion. But I guess that depends on how much you like big cats doesn't it!
Yes, I certainly expect to. I have very little interest in visiting Zion, primarily because of the tour aspect, and all the baggage of the place.
