Kiwi egg cracks 100 for season
By PHIL CAMPBELL - Rotorua Review | Tuesday, 20 February 2007

ON BURROWED TIME: Irwin, the 100th chick for the season at Rainbow Springs, pictured three hours after hatching.

The 100th kiwi chick for the season has been hatched at Rainbow Springs.

The season runs from August to the end of March-April.

It is called Irwin, in honour of the late naturalist Steve Irwin.

But will it later be known as Steve or Bindi?

It is too early to determine the sex of the chick.

One chick named Carl was recently renamed Carla when gender was determined, we learned. Toni Thompson, of Rainbow Springs, said, referring to another five eggs in incubation. that "we are getting them in dribs and drabs".

Eggs and chicks had been removed from burrows in Taranaki and helicoptered to Rotorua for continued care.

"We've had an awful lot of chicks arrive in this season."

The 100th egg arrived on January 31 with a sibling Kiwi chick, named Brockie, from the same burrow.

Last year's record of 108 hatched eggs was likely to be exceeded, Ms Thompson said.