Kiwi in a Wairarapa wildlife sanctuary are being moved to safety, after ferrets killed nine of them in the past month.
The 45 kiwi remaining in the Mt Bruce National Wildlife Centre, near Masterton, are now being moved to other areas of the park.
The Department of Conservation confirmed on Wednesday that a ferret was caught 200 metres from the site of the latest deaths.
DoC says efforts to flush out any remaining predators are ongoing, but the 942 hectare forest block is fenceless.