Dozens of seal pups found mysteriously dead near Canterbury's Ohau Point
Friday, 2 June 2017
Dozens of dead seal pups have been found on the Kaikoura coastline, but authorities are unsure what caused them to die.
Between 30 and 40 fur seal pups were found dead at a site just south of Ohau Point in mid-May. Three bodies were sent to Massey University for a necropsy.
Department of Conservation (DOC) northern South Island operations manager Roy Grose said the pups showed no sign of physical injury and were in good body condition. Their physical appearance and blubber thickness was normal.
They could not be sure what killed the pups, but examination of the bodies suggested pneumonia was the most probable cause, he said.
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Other contributing factors such as biotoxins, bacterial infections or viruses could not be ruled out though.
Grose said there were no physical signs linking the deaths to the efforts to rebuild State Highway 1 after the November earthquakes, and no rebuild work was taking place at the site when the dead pups were found.
Ohau was one of the areas worst damaged in the earthquakes, with rebuild crews going to some lengths to keep seals safe, including using electric fences.
Fur seal pup mortality was common, but 'more usually as individuals here and there, and it varies from year to year', Grose said.
The incident was unusual because it was 'very localised in time and space', so DOC responded quickly to look for the cause.
DOC staff would continue to monitor the coast and respond to any further reports of dead pups.
Grose said it was unlikely the deaths of the pups would have a meaningful effect on the wider seal population at Kaikoura.
There had been no reports of similar events this year, but two years ago seal pups suffered a slightly higher than normal mortality rate at a range of sites, especially in Kaikoura and Otago. About 100 dead pups and females were found along the Kaikoura coast from Haumuri Bluff to Kekerengu.
Grose said that was different to this year's event as 'those seals were notably in poor body condition and those that were necropsied were considered to have died of starvation'.
The New Zealand fur seal is fully protected by the Marine Mammals Protection Act.