Little Blue penguins attacked by dogs at Kuaotunu, Coromandel

Thursday, 19 January 2017

This Little Blue penguin was brought in with an injured flipper and one leg torn off..

Three dog attacks in a week have left four of Kuaotunu's resident little blue penguins dead.

Unleashed dogs on the beaches, in the morning and evening, are causing devastation among the colony, Kuaotunu Bird Rescue volunteer Annemieke Kregting said.

She said the biggest problem is the fact dogs were allowed on the beaches unleashed at the same time the penguins were moving between the sea and their nests, which happened at both these times of day.

'The law allows the dogs to be unleashed at these times but they still must be under control,' she said.

Kuaotunu Bird Rescue estimate there are 30 nesting sites between Kuaotunu and Matarangi which are generally ground burrows, rock crevices, caves, purposely built nesting boxes and some are even under buildings.

'The high number of summer visitors is a problem but the fact many people simply do not know the penguins are there is an even bigger problem,' she said.

'People are well informed about dotterels and avoid their marked nesting sites which are on the beaches but because penguins live all along the coast, above the beach, their nests or territory is not so easily marked.'

Little blues, who stand just over 25 centimetres and weigh around 1 kilogram, lay their eggs from June to November and raise their young who fledge, at the age of four months, around December and January.

They do not migrate and return to their nest every evening after spending the day out at sea feeding.

The little blue penguin is the smallest penguin in the world and is becoming increasingly rare.

Decline is continuing except on off shore islands.

Kregting said the major factors in their decline were unleashed and roaming domestic dogs and to a lesser degree other introduced predators.

'If people could just keep an eye on their dogs at the beach. We realise they are allowed off leash in the morning and evening so if people could just control their dogs and not let them roam among the dunes alone it would be a huge help,' she said.