While many looked to Dr Ashley Bloomfield’s daily updates for piece of mind, some Dunedin vets were seeking comfort from a kea of the same name. Bloomfield was transported from Fiordland to the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital during Alert Level 4, after being found in a ‘‘very poorly’’ condition. In honour of that and in recognition of the ‘‘hard mahi’’ from Dr Bloomfield and the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern throughout the pandemic, the vet team decided on his name. Paying for specialist staff and equipment in order to care for the kea came at a cost of $2000 for the hospital. Wildlife Hospital Trust chairman Steve Walker said ‘‘Covid-19 has been tough on organisations like the Wildlife Hospital as we are very dependent on public donations’’.

Source: Otago Daily Times June 08, 2020 22:30 UTC