Pauline Wilson/Supplied
The 100 little blue penguins/kororā were found next to a Department of Conservation vehicle track in Cable Bay.
- A pile of more than 100 little blue penguins was found dumped at Cable Bay.
- The smell alerted neighbours to the grisly pile.
- Kororā struggle to survive in La Niña weather conditions, which have continued into winter.
Far North residents have been left searching for answers after more than 100 dead little blue penguins, or kororā, were found dumped in a seaside community.
Cable Bay resident Pauline Wilson said she first noticed something was amiss on Wednesday night, when she noticed a smell, which she brushed off as being just a dead possum.
But the smell kept getting worse, prompting neighbours to search for the source of the stench.
A neighbour found the dumping of penguins on Friday night, off the side of the Department of Conservation vehicle track off Powell Rd, Wilson said.
JOHN BISSET/Stuff
Kororā struggle to survive in La Niña weather conditions, which have continued into winter. (File photo)
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“There’s probably over 100 there – they’re in a thick pile.”
The Ministry for Primary Industries and Department of Conservation have been notified.
Wilson said it is not unusual to find a few dead penguins on the beaches around Cable Bay, with juveniles dying of natural causes at this time of year.
However, she could not understand how so many were collected – all apparently at the same time, according to their level of decomposition – nor why they were dumped in such a way.
KAREN SAUNDERS
Tūmanako the little blue penguin was rescued when it didn’t need rescuing. The kororā is thriving at Native Bird Rescue on Waiheke Island. Video first published in January 2022.
“You would’ve thought if they were caught in fishing nets they would’ve been dumped overboard.”
From the road, the kororā did not appear to have been attacked by a dog, Wilson said.
She hoped wider publicity would prompt people to come forward with information about what happened.
Meanwhile, the Department of Conservation said natural deaths of kororā can be exacerbated by climate change and the La Niña weather conditions, which have continued into winter in Aotearoa.
This is because warmer waters drive the fish the penguins live on into cooler, deeper waters – making it harder for them to find food.
On May 2 to 8, more than 40 dead little penguins were found washed up on Tokerau Bay, just around the corner from Cable Bay, a department spokesperson said.
An investigation by the Ministry for Primary Industries showed the kororā had signs of starvation and hypothermia, due to a lack of blubber to keep them warm in the water.
The penguins had poor body condition and their gastrointestinal tract was empty.
On May 31, more than 100 little blue penguins were found dead on Ninety Mile Beach (Te One-roa-a-Tōhē), according to photographs on social media.
DOC advises people can help the penguins by keeping their dogs on a leash in coastal areas and away from nests.
It advises anyone who finds a dead or injured penguin to leave it where it is. Sick penguins at risk of attack from dogs can be placed under vegetation in rear dunes or taken to a local bird rescue centre.
The Department of Conservation was asked about the Cable Bay dumping, but was unable to respond by publication time.
