Source: Radio New Zealand
A kekeno / New Zealand fur seal pup. Supplied / Department of Conservation
It may not be the ‘silly season‘, but that has not put a stop to naughty New Zealand fur seals causing mischief.
The Department of Conservation (DoC) is reminding the public that kekeno are not pets, as more and are spotted around the country.
New Zealand made international headlines this month, after footage of a seal pup wriggling through the front door of Sprig+Fern The Meadows in the Tasman town of Richmond went viral.
Another seal pup was spotted in Christchurch last week, with DoC having to intervene after a member of the public threatened to take it home.
Ranger Mailee Stanbury told RNZ that the pup had travelled several kilometres – from the suburb of Redcliffs, through the Heathcote River, all the way to Opawa – which was “not unusual”.
“It is normal for seal pups to go exploring up rivers, and sea lions have been seen as far inland as 60 kilometres,” she said.
“It is common to see them coming up the estuary at this time of year, exploring and fishing. With an increasing population around Banks Peninsula, there’s a chance we can expect to see more fur seals coming into residential environments around estuaries.”
While DOC would prefer to leave the pup alone, Stanbury said she had to move it “because it was unsafe from people”.
“Unless we absolutely need to, we prefer to take a hands-off, more natural approach.
“That’s the only way that wildlife can actually learn and explore – and I think they should be able to do so without threats from humans.”
DoC moved the pup “because it was unsafe from people”. Supplied / Department of Conservation
Stanbury said the pup was being hand-fed fish, and one person had even taken it from the Heathcote River and put it beside the road.
It had learned that people would give it food, Stanbury said, so it had started to habituate to them.
“There were men there who were saying that they were going to take the pup and put it in their bath at home, which is completely inappropriate. That is a very inappropriate way to treat New Zealand wildlife. We do not take them home.”
While Stanbury had taken the pup to Godley Head late Friday night, it had returned in search of more hand-fed fish by the morning.
The pup was first spotted at Taylors Mistake beach, passing by the Surf Life Saving Club, before loitering in the car park.
“It actually stopped some people from leaving because it went and sat right underneath the back wheel, and they couldn’t back out of the car park and go away. Even when they turned on the engine, it just got in closer under the car, so it really has no fear of humans or cars at all.
“And at that point, we made the call that we were going to need to take it quite a bit farther away – somewhere where it can’t hear or see people at all – and will hopefully be able to re-bond with its own kind and break this unhealthy bond that it’s now forming with humankind.”
Stanbury released the pup in a bay past Akaroa Harbour on Monday.
“These little seals are only just weaned from their mothers and need to learn to feed and survive in the wild. When people feed them or interact with them, they are putting its life in danger as it will bond with people and keep coming back to urban settings where it can be attacked by dogs or hit by a car.
“We urge the public to leave seals alone, give them a wide berth, and absolutely do not feed them.
“Ring the DoC hotline if you think a seal is injured, sick, or in danger.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
