Leopard seals now officially considered New Zealand residents

Monday, 27 May 2019

A destructive leopard seal, along with all others, have become New Zealand's newest residents.

It comes after a push from NIWA cetacean biologist Dr Krista Hupman, who has been researching leopard seals for some time and wanting their reclassification.

Hupman largely attributes the change, which came into effect last week, to leopard seal Owha, who first made Auckland's Waitematā Harbour her home seven years ago.

Since 2012, Owha has been moving around the country, stopping off between Dunedin, the Bay of Plenty, Auckland and Whangārei.

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She sleeps on pontoons and swim around in shallow waters.

Although prompting Hupman's research into the residency of leopard seals in New Zealand, Owha has caused trouble for boaties at Westhaven Marina - ruining equipment and causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.

As part of her research, Hupman worked with Dr Ingrid Visser to set up LeopardSeals.org to establish a better understanding of leopard seals in New Zealand.

'The information enabled the identification of 216 individuals who had visited New Zealand shores - 78 in 2018 alone,' NIWA said.

Hupman also scoured records from newspapers and museums to find more than 3000 sightings, which showed leopard seals had been around for centuries.

'Such an extensive database enabled us to show that not only were leopard seals living next to our cities, but they could be found all year round and in predictable locations,' Hupman said.

She also found some leopard seals had stayed in New Zealand for many years and three births have been documented on the mainland.

The Department of Conservation announced its newest Marine Mammal Threat Classification on Friday and Hupman was 'delighted' with the status change for leopard seals.

The report said leopard seals had previously been considered a non-resident native.

'Analysis of leopard seal records shows that this species maintains a constant presence in New Zealand, albeit in relatively low numbers, and therefore should be considered resident here,' it said. 

'This species has been designated as Naturally Uncommon because, despite the low numbers, the population is not thought to be facing imminent extinction.'

Hupman said it was a positive outcome for all leopard seals in New Zealand.

'For Owha, she can safely spend her days sunning on the marina pontoons. For New Zealanders, we are extremely fortunate to have what was previously known as an Antarctic species as a resident member of our unique biodiversity,' she said.

'It just shows what New Zealanders working together can achieve.'