Manukura, the world's only known white kiwi (not an albino!), had endoscopic surgery Friday to break up a large stone she'd swallowed. Kiwis normally eat small stones to help with digestion, but Manukura's eyes were bigger than her stomach, and the stone got stuck in her gizzard. Doctors operated using a laser that's usually used on humans to break up human kidney stones, making Manukura the only kiwi to have gone through laser surgery, as well as the only white one, and also the most friggin' adorable. Just gotta rack up ALL the trophies, don't you there, bird.
Manukura is itty bitty — only 940 grams, less than a liter bottle of water — so she can't be under anaesthetic for too long, making the operation tricky. It was touch and go for a minute, too, as her heart stopped beating on the operating table. But doctors made sure she pulled through, and there's still at least one white kiwi in the world.
If for some reason you want to look at an anaesthetized kiwi, you can watch news footage here.
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