Media release

24 January 2005

New recovery area for injured kiwi gets under way

Bayer New Zealand gets ball rolling with donation for materials

Injured kiwi and other birds will soon have a new facility to recover in thanks to a new project due to get under way at the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre this week.

Bayer New Zealand, one of the main sponsors of the centre, has put up initial funds for a new aviary which will become home to the centre’s permanent residents as well as kiwi recovering from their injuries.

Bird recovery centre manager Robert Webb said the aviary, which will be 26m by 30m in size, would give the public better access to the birds, particularly kiwi who will be in a special recovery pen within the aviary.

“At the moment our bird cages for our permanent residents, such as Woof Woof the talking tui, are a bit small. This new aviary will more closely resemble the birds’ natural habitat and give them more room to move around in.

“A major feature will be a central rockery, complete with waterfall and burrows for kiwi – it’s going to be something quite special.”

The aviary will contain three separate areas, including a walkway for the public and an area for recovering kiwi.

“We’ve had quite a few injured kiwi through the centre over the past year, including one mauled by a dog and eight that had been hit by cars. The Bayer kiwi recovery pens will provide an area where kiwi can recover in an environment similar to their natural habitat and still be viewed by the public.”

Bayer New Zealand corporate communications and sponsorship manager William Malpass said he was delighted that the bird centre was going ahead with the aviary.

“We’ve supported the centre for four years now and during that time it’s gone from strength to strength. This new initiative will add significant value to the work that Robert does and to the local community, which will have a great new attraction for Whangarei.”

The centre currently has several birds that are permanent residents, mainly because their injuries left them unable to fly. They include Snoopy the one legged kiwi, Woof Woof the talking tui, keruru (wood pigeon), kingfishers and Rosellas.

The centre treats about 1500 birds a year ranging from blackbirds to massive Royal Albatrosses. The majority are successfully treated and released back into the wild.

Mr Webb said another $3000 was needed to complete the aviary, but was confident an appeal to the community would be successful.

Ends

About Bayer

Bayer is an international, research-based group with major businesses in health care, crop science and high tech materials. Employing some 115,000 people worldwide, and almost 900 in Australia/New Zealand, the Bayer Group has a portfolio of over 10,000 products and operations in nearly all countries of the globe. Worldwide operations are managed from Group headquarters in Leverkusen, Germany.

In New Zealand, Bayer aims to make a positive contribution to the community, not only by providing innovative solutions, but also through our educational partnerships. For example, Bayer supports ongoing clinical research and educational initiatives in the treatment of haemophilia. On a broader scale, we believe social commitment also extends to the environment. We support initiatives to preserve and protect New Zealand’s native flora and fauna, such as the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre, and have established a unique plant sanctuary at our East Tamaki warehouse where rare native plants are grown.

Bayer has had a presence in Australia and New Zealand for more than 75 years. For more information on Bayer visit www.bayer.co.nz or contact:

About the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre

The Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre is now in its 11th year of operation. It deals with around 1300 injured birds each year, including kiwi, petrels, albatrosses, keruru (native pigeon), hawks, morepork and many other bird species. It also runs a popular education program for school children in the area and has about 6000 children visit per year. Another main component of the centre is the Bayer Kiwi Incubation Unit which has hatched more than 100 kiwi.

For more information about the Native Bird Recovery Centre contact:

Website: www.whangareinativebirdrecovery.org.nz

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