Manukura, the only white kiwi bird ever born in captivity, dies in New Zealand after surgery

 

A rare, snow-white kiwi bird that inspired a children's book and was the first of its kind ever hatched in captivity has died in New Zealand after multiple surgeries to remove an unfertilized egg.
The kiwi -- named Manukura, which means "of chiefly status" in Māori -- died Sunday, according to a statement from the Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre, 78 miles (125 kilometers) from the national capital Wellington.
The North Island brown kiwi was hatched at Pūkaha in May 2011, with a rare genetic trait resulting in white feathers instead of the standard brown.Manukura was seen as a "huge blessing" by the local Rangitāne o Wairarapa tribe, who saw her as a unifying symbol, according to the wildlife center's statement.
She even inspired a book by Joy Cowley, one of New Zealand's most prolific children's fiction authors, as well as a line of soft toys and other memorabilia.
"Over the past 10 years she delighted multitudes of people and in her own quiet way shone a spotlight on the precarious plight of kiwi in the wild," said Department of Conservation Wairarapa operations manager Kathy Houkamau, who was the center manager at Pūkaha when Manukura hatched. "She will be sorely missed."