(Photos: Kiwi Birdlife Park)
This baby kiwi, which weighs about 1.3 pounds, was born last month at the Kiwi Birdlife Park in Queenstown, New Zealand. He was born with a crooked beak. The lower part was shifted sideways and curled. This prevented him from eating easily--a problem that was likely to get worse as he grew older.
Veterinarians decided to operate. They shifted his beak and corrected the curvature. This was a tricky surgery because the nerves that run along the beak are essential to sensing food. Fortunately, the operation was a success. The Kiwi Birdlife Park plans to release him into the wild once he weighs about 2.2 pounds.
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