Attacks on kiwi prompts DoC warning to dog owners
28 Dec, 2020 07:06 PM
2 minutes to read
DoC is asking dog owners to keep their pets under control in areas where there may be kiwi. Photo / Supplied
RNZ
Three dead endangered Coromandel brown kiwi have been discovered at Tairua, Whenuakite and Matarangi in the past few months.
DoC biodiversity ranger Mailee Stanbury said at one stage five dogs were seen roaming the Whenuakite block.
The message to owners was simple.
Advertisement Obey the signs and if an area says don t bring in dogs then please be respectful of those signs, Stanbury said. Please keep your dog in sight at all times, know where your dog is, keep them under control and preferably on a leash or at least under verbal control.
“We have two adult kiwi bodies that have been mauled by dogs that we have personally picked up, but I’ve heard reports of others,” Mailee Stanbury, DOC Biodiversity Senior Ranger said. “It doesn’t seem like many, but these are breeding birds that have been taken out of the population, so one or two birds is quite significant. “If we’re picking up and finding the bodies in readily noticeable places it’s an indication of what is going on. “We don’t know how many kiwis are being killed out there.” DoC and kiwi protection group, Whenuakite Kiwi Care, are urging dog owners to take responsibility for their pets.
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