Coromandel dog owner to appear in court over fatal attack on kiwi

Monday, 17 February 2020

DNA evidence linked two dogs to the death of a kiwi and now their owner could face up to three years in jail.

The Department of Conservation laid charges against the Coromandel dog owner after the remains of an adult North Island brown kiwi were found near Papa Aroha coastal forest – a known kiwi habitat – in July last year.

Under the Dog Control Act, the maximum penalty the court can hand down in these cases is a $20,000 fine or up to three years in jail, and an order for the dogs to be destroyed.

The owner of the two dogs will appear in Thames District Court in March.

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The department's acting operations manager in Whitianga, David Agnew, said the two dogs were linked to the death of the kiwi through DNA evidence. 

The native bird had puncture wounds consistent with a dog bite.

'Dog attacks on kiwi undermine significant long-term investment and work by DOC and its stakeholders and partners to protect these important birds,' Agnew said.

'Incidents like these can be devastating both for the birds' population, and also the many people who commit time and energy to kiwi protection. Kiwi deaths from dog attacks are even more tragic because they can be prevented.'

According to DOC, eight kiwi were killed by dogs in the Coromandel area in 2019.

Dogs are also a major killer of kiwi in Northland, and a Northland dog owner will appear in the Kaikohe District Court in March for a similar incident in July, 2018.

The department is urging dog owners near kiwi habitats to keep their dogs tied up at night when kiwi are active, and keep them on a leash in kiwi environments.

Dog owners can put their animals through kiwi aversion training, and details of those courses are available from local DOC offices.

National compliance manager Marta Lang Silveira said the department takes its compliance and legislative responsibilities seriously as it strives to protect NZ's native species.

She said dog owners have such a key role to play in ensuring species like kiwi can survive in their natural habitats.

Anyone who sees roaming dog on Public Conservation Land is urged to report it to 0800 DOC HOT.