New Zealand conservationists have bad blood with Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is in New Zealand with some rare birds and people are angry.

Following the confusion surrounding Swift's whereabouts earlier this week (November 24), Universal Music reportedly confirmed that the American singer was in the country to film a music video on Bethells Beach, Auckland, home of the rare New Zealand dotterel.

Bethells Beach in Auckland, New Zealand

With around 1700 remaining in the country, the dotterel is one of New Zealand's rarest birds and is officially ranked as being nationally vulnerable, meaning conservationists are pretty darn annoyed that Taylor and her team set up camp on their nesting spot.

The New Zealand dotterel, once common around many areas of New Zealand, but now an endangered species, and only found in a few places

Said an environmentalist,

"Taylor Swift filming at Bethells this week. Permission was given for I think 2 vehicles, instead there were about a dozen. Taylor's lot did not respect the environment or the conditions of their consent.”

Taylor Swift on her 2013 RED tour

Since the accusations, Cherokee Films, the production company working on the video, have released a statement accepting responsibility as well as a map showing their filming location, which they say are away from the dotterels' nesting spot.

New Zealand Dotterel Eggs

The company issued a statement that said,

“As the local film production company, Cherokee Films, we accept responsibility and apologize for this situation. Taylor Swift and her management team were in no way at fault. At all times the film crew adhered to the Dotterel protocol in guidelines provided about the dotterel nesting sites, and at no time were the film crew close to that habitat. No Dotterel were harmed.”

A cave at Bethells Beach

The statement also explains that, in support of concerns, Cherokee Films will make a donation to the dotterel breeding program.

(All images - credit: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licence)