US zoo apologizes to New Zealand
A video of visitors fondling a kiwi, the Pacific country’s reclusive national symbol, has sparked an international incident
Zoo Miami issued a formal apology to New Zealand on Wednesday after footage of visitors to the facility manhandling its only kiwi – the country’s national symbol – triggered an avalanche of complaints and an inquiry from Wellington’s Department of Conservation.
The zoo “made a huge mistake” in offering visitors a hands-on ‘Kiwi Encounter’ with Paora the kiwi for $25, spokesman Ron Magill confessed in an interview with Radio New Zealand, acknowledging the outrage and admitting “we have offended a nation.”
“We give you…
