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A much loved and extremely rare white kiwi died after surgery, causing great grief among New Zealand conservationists.
Manukura, the North Island brown kiwi, was born in captivity in May 2011 with a rare genetic trait, leucism, which gave it a striking white plumage.
She became an ambassador for the Pūkaha National Wildlife Center on Mt Bruce in Wairarapa, where she lived; and the plight of its endangered species, inspiring plush toys, souvenirs and a picture book.
Manukura had been taken to Wildbase Specialty Hospital at Massey University in Palmerston North earlier this month after rangers caring for her in Pūkaha noticed that she was losing weight.
Veterinarians found an unfertilized egg that Manukura was unable to lay. Although his operation to remove it was successful, the bird’s health continued to deteriorate in the following weeks.
Her death on Sunday afternoon was announced on Monday on Pūkaha’s Instagram page: “We will miss her very much.”
Manukura was the first of three white kiwis to hatch in Pūkaha in the 2011-12 breeding season, causing the number of visitors to the center to skyrocket. The local iwi Rangitāne or Wairarapa gave it its name, which means “of the main category”, who saw the chick as a tohu or symbol of new beginnings.
Jason Kerehi from Rangitāne said of Manukura at the time, “Every now and then something extraordinary comes up to remind you how special life is.”
In a statement from Pūkaha, the iwi expressed his sadness over Manukura’s death: “Rangitāne has always believed that she was a precious taonga [treasure] and we were privileged to have played a small role in his life. ”An elder, Manu Kawana, was also able to offer karakia (prayer) in person.
Pūkaha General Manager Emily Court said the center was consulting with iwi on ways the public can pay their respects to Manukura and his “quirky personality.”
For most of her first year, Manukura was identified as male, and the eventual discovery that she was female was described as “yet another surprise from this extraordinary bird.” In 2012 it was immortalized in a children’s book by renowned author Joy Cowley, who established a link between the uniqueness of the kiwi and that of each child.
Two years later, Manukura made headlines for “loudly hitting” his potential partner. He is survived by his brother Mapuna, who is part of the Pūkaha captive breeding program.
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