TAYLOR SWIFT’S film crew is receiving criticism from New Zealand conservationists for potentially disrupting the native habitat of the endangered dotterel bird while filming her music video.

    According to Radio NZ, the “Bad Blood” singer’s New Zealand film crew was approved to bring two vehicles on Bethells Beach on Nov. 23, but up to a dozen were used. Sandra Coney, Waitakere Ranges local board chair, was “disappointed” that the pop star’s crew did not follow the rules set in place and credited the reasoning to the bird’s habitat.

    “There are only two breeding pairs — only four birds — that have been there about 10 years, and they usually fledge only one or two chicks a year. There are only 1,700 dotterels left in New Zealand. So it is a major concern for the board, and as a result we have a dotterel management framework which sets conditions for vehicles on the beach,” Coney said, according to Radio NZ. “For instance, they can only go on a certain part of the beach, they can only go at a certain speed and there should always be someone walking in front of the vehicles to make sure there are no dotterels in the way.”

    Coney added, “There are very few filming applications turned down outright, but we do try and keep the number of vehicles to an absolute minimum, because of the wildlife risk.”

    Cherokee Films, the local production company behind Swift’s New Zealand shoot, issued a statement and defended Swift, stating that she and her team were not at fault and that no birds were harmed. (SD-Agencies)