Ferret toll on kiwi increases to dozen | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

Three more kiwi have been found dead at Pukaha Mt Bruce, bringing the total butchered by ferrets to 12 in the past month, but Department of Conservation staff are hopeful the trio of dead birds were killed by a ferret that has since been caught.

Confirming the kiwi deaths yesterday, Pukaha Mt Bruce field centre manager Kathy Houkamau said two kiwi were found dead on farmland north of the wildlife centre and the other in a gully nearby.

Ms Houkamau said it had been determined the kiwi were killed before the last ferret find and staff were "fairly confident" the culprit had already been caught.

As with the other kiwi found dead, the three discovered this week belonged to a contingent of 30 North Island brown kiwi brought to the wildlife reserve from Little Barrier Island.

Just a few days ago a huge male ferret was caught in a trap, being the second large male to be eliminated since the spate of kiwi deaths began.

The three latest killings brings the total number of kiwi cared for at the wildlife reserve back to 42 and are likely to add further fuel to the demands of those calling for the kiwi to either be taken to another, fenced location or for pest control measures to be completely overhauled.