The only Japanese zoo displaying a kiwi has admitted to Newshub that its enclosure isn't a suitable habitat for the endangered bird.
A New Zealand tourist posted pictures of a kiwi at Tennoji Zoo in Osaka being kept in bright and noisy conditions.
And that's prompted calls for authorities to do more to protect kiwi in captivity overseas.
The kiwi at Tennoji Zoo is a long way from home. Photos and video of the bird were taken by a New Zealand tourist in Japan.
"We are at Osaka Zoo, this is how bright and tiny this kiwi enclosure is. It's f**king horrible," phone footage taken in the zoo shows.
"It's hurting his eyes. And there's no flash limit and it's very loud."
New Zealand traveller Saebyul Koata told Newshub "everyone was loud, everyone was tapping at the glass, kids and adults. There was flash photography".
Tennoji Zoo in Osaka Japan boasts Japan's only kiwi - which has reportedly lived at the zoo for decades.
In other videos posted online one can hear how loud the crowd is, and judging by the kiwi's call you can hear through the glass - it's not soundproofed.
"It is not thick glass - like they have with lions and jaguars and stuff. That the kiwi is hearing and it's stressed," Koata said.
Whangārei Native Bird Recovery Centre manager Robert Webb has dedicated his life to looking after injured native birds like kiwi and said it's got to stop.
"The background noise is quite loud and they shouldn't be tapping the glass at all. That's a no-no because it's the high-pitched sound which can upset a kiwi."
Last year there was outrage sparked by a Miami zoo's handling of another kiwi called Pāora, which led to a back-down and apology.
Tennoji Zoo agrees it's not doing the best job either. In a statement to Newshub, it said it's sought advice from the National Kiwi Hatchery in New Zealand - conceding its current enclosure is not suitable for kiwi.
It's even looking to get a bigger enclosure, but there's no timeline for that, it's just a plan at this stage.
And while Osaka's kiwi looks healthier than Miami's did, Webb said the stress it's under means Aotearoa needs to jump to its rescue.
"Every now and again somebody should go to these countries just for an inspection. You can't expect the country the bird's in to know all the do's and don'ts," said.
"We have to kind of do better," Koata added.
"We kind-of market ourselves as this kind of clean green, protecting our animals. And to see that - where's the protection for that? Where's the protection for that poor kiwi?"
Protection that could still be a long way away.
