Fur seal frolicks with visitors in a lake after swimming kilometres inland
From reporter Joanne Naish:
A fur seal has been making himself at home and putting on a show for visitors in a West Coast lake.
Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge owner and guide Gerry McSweeney said New Zealand fur seals had been visiting Lake Moeraki for the last five years. Lake Moeraki is 3km upriver from the Tasman Sea in South Westland, north of Haast.
A male fur seal has been resident in the lake for the past six months.
“They seem happy here and eat a regular diet of eels and trout. We see this particular male almost every day over a stretch of about 5km of river and lake,” he said.
McSweeney takes tourists out on kayak trips on the lake, which is surrounded by rainforest and the Te Wāhipounamu World Heritage Site.
The fur seal recently frolicked in the water lying on his back and waving his flippers around near a group of kayakers.
“Their behaviour lying on their backs and waving their flippers about in the sunshine is to do with thermoregulation. They do this in sunny weather and keep warm from the sun on their flippers,” he said.
He believed the fur seals were attracted by a plentiful food source, but their presence had not dented the trout population in the lake, he said.
“The trout fishing in Lake Moeraki remains very good. This is further evidence that the presence of a large predator actually helps improve the health of the prey population because the predator will generally only eat the old, the sick and the weak species leading to an overall improvement in the health of the prey population,” he said.
McSweeney said it was unusual to see seals in freshwater. He only knew of Lake McKerrow in the Lower Hollyford Valley in northern Fiordland as the other place where fur seals have been seen in a freshwater lake.
“This is not common anywhere in New Zealand. Our visitors think the presence of a seal in Lake Moeraki is yet further evidence of what a special place the West Coast is,” he said.
Department of Conservation’s West Coast Marine Reserves Ranger Don Neale said it was an interesting find.
“It’s interesting and uncommon, but not unheard of to have a seal in such a lake. Lake Moeraki is a pretty easy swim upriver for a seal,” he said.
Fur seals had previously been seen up to 20km up rivers in other parts of New Zealand.
“We call them marine mammals, but they don’t know that,” he said.
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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82.5% Yes
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14.9% No
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2.6% Other - I'll share below
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
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