Make history today: what you can do to save the kiwi

Fancy hearing some good news for once? Thanks to Old Mout Cider’s campaign on The Independent, the work of charity Kiwis for kiwi, and countless conservation initiatives across the country, the status of New Zealand’s national icon — the kiwi — has improved from “endangered” to “vulnerable”.

Does ‘good news’ get better than that?

As it happens, it does… For each reader who signed up to support Old Mout Cider’s mission to save the kiwi, the cider brand has donated 20p to Kiwis for kiwi. And, thanks to these contributions, 130 chicks have been hatched through Operation Nest Egg, and predator control on specially cultivated predator-free islands has been secured for two more years.

What a fantastic result! A clear indication of what can be achieved when we come together to create real change. But there is still more work to do. Scientists have recently discovered that across New Zealand, the kiwi population is growing at a rate of -2 per cent, which is to say, numbers are still in decline.

The flightless kiwi — a characterful little creature, with its exceptionally long beak and feather-like hair — is virtually defenceless. A prehistoric ratite, it thrived for millions of years when New Zealand was a paradise of birds and bats with no mammal predators at all — until man arrived… “It’s staggering to think that a bird that has been around for 50 million years could go extinct in the next 50,” says wildlife expert and TV personality Michaela Strachan. “In New Zealand, conservationists are working tirelessly to protect the kiwi from predators that have seen its population plummet. We are a small world and must take threats to species extremely seriously — before it’s too late.”

Such tireless work includes that of Kiwis for kiwi, which has transformed islands such as Kapiti, off the coast of New Zealand, into predator-free sanctuaries for endangered birds. There, safe from such non-indigenous creatures as rats, possums and stoats, the kiwi can develop at a growth rate of 22 per cent per year — a 24 per cent increase on what’s happening on the mainland. But it can take up to five years to turn these havens into predator-free environments. And ensuring they remain that way is an ongoing challenge that you can join.

This is why the kiwi needs your help

For every person who signs up to the Save the Kiwi campaign, Old Mout Cider will continue to donate 20p to Kiwis for kiwi, so this important work can continue.

So if you haven’t already joined, sign up to the campaign today.

And if you have already shown your support, encourage your family, friends, neighbours and work colleagues to sign up too. Collectively, we have the power to directly affect the future of this precious bird. And it really could not be easier. Just search online for save the kiwi, sign up to the mission, and together we will make history.

*This content was commissioned and approved by Old Mout Cider