David Tipling/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images(MIAMI) Zoo Miami has apologized following an uproar over its treatment of a kiwi bird under its care.
Footage emerged online showing Paōra, a male Kiwi bird, being petted by guests at the zoo s "encounter experience." Videos also showed the nocturnal bird being placed in a brightly lit enclosure.
The footage sparked outcry among New Zealanders at home and abroad, who say the Kiwi, New Zealand s national bird, is being mistreated.
Paōra was the first kiwi to hatch in Florida in 2019.
A petition to "Help Save" Paōra garnered over 12,300 signatures in three days as people called for investigations into the kiwi s living conditions.
"Kiwis are our precious Taonga, not America s toys," read the petition, which was started by New Zealander Jeseka Christieson.
Zoo Miami apologized for its treatment of Paōra on Wednesday, announcing that it has scrapped "encounter" experi
Miami Zoo apologizes after treatment of Kiwi bird sparks outrage
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Miami Zoo apologizes after treatment of Kiwi bird sparks outrageEmma Ogao and Ellie Kaufman, ABC News
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