Penguin attack causes distress in Kaikōura

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

A dog attack of penguins in Kaikōura has caused distress among locals.

Project Wellbird co-ordinator Sabrina Luecht said the incident was reported to her at lunchtime on Monday, October 7, after two little penguins/kororā were spotted at the bottom of concrete steps at a rock wall along the Esplanade on the Kaikōura waterfront.

A local resident had noticed two penguins trying to hide in rocks, one penguin was bleeding and appeared to be injured, while the other was covered in blood.

Luecht said she arrived to find one penguin had been severely mauled and it died five minutes later.

‘‘Both birds had been disturbed and injured at their nest site,’’ she said.

‘‘Given that kororā are nocturnal, they were not coming or going between land and the sea in broad daylight.

‘‘They were therefore mauled with certainty directly on site.’’

She believed the deceased penguin had been attacked at the entrance to its burrow, at the bottom of the steps.

It then crawled to the right of the steps and lay along the concrete edge.

Luecht said it was mauled at the neck, with a suspected ruptured jugular from major trauma with puncture wounds.

The other penguin was covered in blood from its mate, and had attempted to protect it by huddling together.

While it had no visible injuries, Luecht suspected it had puncture wounds which required antibiotics and required further testing.

It has been transferred to the South Island Wildlife Hospital in Christchurch for tests, while the deceased penguin was transferred for a necropsy.

Luecht said dog attacks on penguins was happening all too often and she wanted to raise awareness of the issue.

■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.