Body of dead Māui dolphin wasn't picked up because email went to off-duty ranger

Wednesday, 9 February 2022

WWF NZ researcher Amanda Leathers explains why Hector's and Māui dolphin are on the brink of extinction. (First published May 9, 2019)

The body of a critically endangered dolphin that washed up on an Auckland beach was not recovered for testing because an email was sent to the wrong person.

The Māui dolphin was found washed up on West Auckland’s Muriwai Beach on Christmas Day by a member of the public.

There are only an estimated 48-66 adult Māui left in the ocean, so recovering any bodies is vitally important to the Department of Conservation, Kristina Hillock, a marine technical advisor for the department, said.

But the person who found the carcass sent an email reporting the find to a Department of Conservation ranger who was on holiday and didn’t see the message until the middle of January, Hillock said.

Māui dolphins are dwindling in number and are at risk from getting caught in nets and being hit by boats.

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By that time, the corpse had washed out with the tide.

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According to the photographs sent by the member of the public, the dolphin “appeared to be severely decomposed and scavenged”, but neither the sex nor the cause of death were able to be determined.

However, the person who found the dolphin took measurements, which determined that it was an adult.

Hillock said the situation highlighted the importance for people to promptly report any dead Māui or Hector’s dolphins through the right channels, such as by calling 0800 DOCHOT.

But Professor Liz Slooten, of the NZ Whale and Dolphin Trust, was still critical of the time it took for DOC to report the death to the public.

It reports Māui and Hector’s dolphin deaths quarterly, but Slooten said that was too long and more prompt reporting could increase public awareness of the deaths.

“If we hear there have been nine Hector’s dolphins deaths in the last quarter, that’s not going to grab people’s attention like saying ‘there is a dolphin lying dead down on the beach’,” she said.

“There’s no way we’d [do the] Covid update quarterly.”

Hillock said the reporting procedure was one DOC had used for years and followed the standard timing mentioned on the department’s website.

She said the department wasn’t aware of the Māui death until later in January, at which point a media release was unnecessary.

She also said it was important for the public to report live sightings via the webpage, so the department could build an understanding of Hector’s and Māui dolphins and help with future planning for marine protection.

“Any Māui dolphin death is a tragic loss to an already very small population, which is why we must do everything in our power to protect them.”

Reports of Māui or Hector’s dolphins can be made by calling 0800 DOCHOT.