Kiwi are New Zealand's iconic flightless birds, now surviving only where intensive predator management protects them from introduced mammals that would otherwise cause local extinction.
Predator management creates welfare trade-offs: 1080 poison kills target predators but causes prolonged death and affects non-target species; live trapping stresses animals; and intensive management of kiwi for Operation Nest Egg involves handling, transport, and captive incubation. However, without these interventions, kiwi face near-certain local extinction in unmanaged areas, a far greater harm. Research into humane pest control methods — including species-specific toxins, genetic approaches, and improved trapping — aims to reduce bycatch and improve target-species welfare. For kiwi themselves, captive rearing protects chicks through their most vulnerable phase, and rapid release into managed sanctuaries minimises time in human care.