A seal spotted on the Base Track of Mauao in the weekend is sparking reminders for people to keep their distances.
The sighting of the New Zealand fur seal is typical for winter and, according to the Department of Conservation, confirms that winter is truly arrived.
This seal was spotted on the Base Track of Mauao on Saturday. Photo: Ross Taylor.
It is an offence to harass or injure a fur seal, which means people need to act responsibly. Dogs are a particular problem and need to be tightly controlled around seals.
The DOC takes a minimum-intervention approach to seals, which means leaving them alone unless they are clearly physically injured or are being attacked or harassed by people or dogs.
If people see a seal that needs intervention, such as suffering from an open wound or being caught in netting, please call the DOC on: 0800 362 468.
5 comments
Slappy the seal
Posted on 08-08-2016 09:48 | By flyingtoaster
Great to see this type of wildlife around the bay... unless you are fishing from the rocks or beach...
Here we go again
Posted on 08-08-2016 13:03 | By maildrop
How long before some morons start jumping up and down saying it appears to be crying, and we have to get experts in to put it in a pool and tickle it to death?
Maildrop...
Posted on 08-08-2016 17:23 | By GreertonBoy
You beat me to it...I was going to say, it looks very depressed and lonely... lets quickly care for it and put it in a bucket not much bigger than itself! After all, we are the 'Master race' and we are obliged to fix these poor lesser creatures aren't we? [sarcasm]
There are always seals around the mount
Posted on 08-08-2016 19:27 | By Ralph78
This is not news.
Ralph78
Posted on 09-08-2016 09:38 | By Politically Incorrect
I think you missed the point of the article, which clearly states sightings are typical in winter. The article is a reminder to leave them alone. Unfortunately, the type of people who harass seals are normally unable to read due to such tiny IQ's, so this warning won't make much difference.
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