Too right, save the kiwi

And you thought the bald eagle was in trouble. Turns out the kiwi -- the flightless bird that provides both the national emblem and nickname for New Zealanders -- has been largely wiped out by stoats (a sort of weasel) imported years ago to eat other noxious imported critters like rabbits.

Nobody noticed that kiwi populations had dropped from several million to less than 100,000, because the birds are nocturnal and masters of stealth. Recently observers learned that full-grown kiwis can kick the crap out of a stoat, but they don't raise their chicks so much as boot them out into a stoat-infested world.

Smithsonian magazine tells how some naturalists have figured out a way to preserve the birds in a stoat-free environment on small islets, and want to move the stoat-trapping campaign to the main islands. All they need is money and volunteers.

Down with stoats! Up with kiwis!