Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Miami Zoo has announced that Paora the kiwi will no longer be offered up for paid encounters with the public after videos of the bird being paraded in daylight for selfies with zoo visitors went viral, causing outrage. Ron Magill, communications director for Miami Zoo, told the Herald that they had listened to the response from New Zealanders. “We regret the unintentional stress caused by a video on social media depicting the handling of Paora, the kiwi bird currently housed within Zoo Miami,” Magill said. Magill apologised profusely to RNZ, saying he told the zoo director: “We have offended a nation”. “I am so sorry. I am so remorseful. Someone asked how would you feel if we did that to your bald eagle, and you’re absolutely right.” He said that the concerns expressed by the community “have been taken very seriously” and told the Herald that their $40 “Kiwi Encounter” will no longer be offered. “We should have known better,” Magill told AM this morning. ”We were really not sensitive to the fact that this bir