Baby Rowi

Apologies for the photo quality. It's taken through glass, and the red light is to simulate darkness for the creature within. The creature being a three week old Rowi, or Okarito Kiwi. I forked over the cash to visit the breeding facility for the species in Franz Josef. Beats a heli-tour of a glacier any day. Okarito Kiwis are the rarest of the five species, with only 375 individuals. The West Coast Wildlife Center successfully hatched and raised 58 chicks this year. This is the very last one left, being released into a protected reserve tonight. Just caught him...happy birthday to me. So sweet.