“First of all, it would be fair to tell you that Kiwi has never seen a cage in her life! From day one, she has always lived free in our house in Tarxien, sleeping every night on my head, curled up in my hair.”

“This is how on the night of February 7th to 8th, when the violent storm which lasted several days had just started, I was awakened by a leak of water in the ceiling, while Kiwi and I were sleeping as usual,” he said.

He continued explaining how he rushed to the upper floor to close the terrace door, and in his haste, he hadn’t paid attention to Kiwi, who had left his head and was then on his shoulder.

“When closing the door to the terrace, a large quantity of water that had accumulated on the roof fell on us and, surprised and panicked, Kiwi then flew off my shoulder and disappeared in the distance.”

At this point, he was convinced that Kiwi would not survive the massive storm that had struck the islands.

“However, I immediately put announcements on social media, and four days after the end of the storm, I received a message from a Maltese gentleman living near Luqa, telling me that Kiwi had survived and that he had recognised her very easily from her photo, but especially from the unique sapphire blue ring she wears,” he said.

“He told me that she had spent two days on the top of a tree located at the entrance to a vast field at Triq Ħal Farruġ.”

“I went there immediately to meet the owner of this field who confirmed to me that not only had Kiwi survived but that she was also waiting for him to come every morning to eat the seeds that he distributes to his poultry.”

“He also told me that she seemed very sociable and often came to him in the hope of receiving a caress…Unfortunately, when I asked him if he had caught her to save her, he told me that he hadn’t seen her for the last two days.”

The next day, the owner stuck and distributed a hundred posters all around this field, offering a €500 reward, nearly four times the market value of the bird.

“But this attempt was in vain… knowing my Kiwi, I very quickly understood that not having managed to be rescued by this gentleman, Kiwi had tried the same approach with other people nearby until finally being rescued.”

“Despite all my efforts, I have not managed to find this Samaritan and I cannot continue living my life imagining that my Kiwi pursues her life locked up in a cage for the dozen years she has left to live.”

“This image of Kiwi locked up haunts me day and night and it is to avoid this happening to Kiwi that I decided to contact you so that together we can save her.”

The owner is now offering a whopping €1,000 reward, being seven times her market value, to allow Kiwi to be reunited with her real family, and “continue all the nights of her life snuggled up warm in my hair”.

If you have seen this bird, please get in touch with Lovin Malta. 

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