The only kiwi in the UK is ready for the big game this weekend. The eight-year-old male named Manu lives at Paignton Zoo in Devon. He’s been putting in a little last-minute practice ahead of the crucial Rugby World Cup semi-final clash between England and New Zealand.
The kiwi, the national symbol of New Zealand, is a flightless bird about the size of a domestic chicken that’s part of the ratite family, which includes the ostrich, emu, rhea and cassowary. It lays the largest egg in relation to body size of any bird in the world – an egg can weigh a quarter of the bird’s body mass. This is like a chicken laying a one-pound egg, or a human mother giving birth to a baby the size of a four-year-old…
The brown or Northern kiwi is an Endangered species. Paignton Zoo is a registered charity. For more information go to www.paigntonzoo.org.uk or ring 01803 697500.
