October 12, 2012
Kiwi feathers coming home for traditional weavers
Posted On October 12, 2012
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Traditional Maori weavers will soon be able to use kiwi feathers gifted by overseas zoos.
The first feathers are being handed over at the Auckland Zoo this afternoon.
There are 52 kiwis outside New Zealand, held in 13 zoos.
Twelve of the zoos are collecting the feathers, which are moulted throughout the year, and they are being gathered together by the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC.
The scheme is the brainchild of the Smithsonian and Roger Smith, a Director General at New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries.