Videos of Päora, a kiwi bird at Zoo Miami, being handled and petted by guests under bright lights emerged on Tuesday, to almost immediate uproar in New Zealand.
Reclusive and nocturnal, kiwis are beloved in New Zealand to the point that the flightless, rotund grounddweller has become the country's national icon.
The footage went viral within hours, sparking a 9,000-signature petition, a flood of complaints to the zoo, a government intervention from the Department of Conservation and comments from the prime minister.
Yesterday, a zoo spokesperson Ron Magill said the visitor attraction had "made a huge mistake here". After receiving a flood of complaints, he added, in an interview on Radio New Zealand, "I immediately went to the zoo director, and I said, we have offended a nation."
Later that day, the prime minister, Chris Hipkins, weighed in, saying it "shows a lot of Kiwis take pride in our national bird when they're overseas".
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 25, 2023 من The Guardian.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 25, 2023 من The Guardian.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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