Wounded seal on Mount beach

The seal on the rocks at Moturiki/Leisure Island. Photos: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

A baby seal has been found on Mount Main Beach with what is believed to be a gash in its side.

Mount Maunganui resident Rosalie Liddle Crawford is down on the beach this morning and says she can see the seal lying at the entrance of Moturiki/Leisure Island.

'I have spoken with ARRC and they are waiting for DOC to arrive. It has probably already been abandoned by its mother, so will most likely be put down.”

It's unclear what has caused the gash in the seal's side, but Rosalie believes it may have been a dog bite or a bite from another marine mammal.

'It's a timely reminder for people to keep their dogs off the beach. Recently, a lot of dogs have been roaming freely on the beach.”

The Tauranga City Council websites states that 'there are some areas in Tauranga where you are not allowed to take your dog, either because of ecological sensitivities or because they are used intensively by the public”.

These areas include:

Beaches

  • Mount Maunganui main beach, from Moturiki (Leisure Island) to Mauao (Mount Maunganui)
  • Pilot Bay from Mauao to Salisbury Avenue
  • Omanu Beach, within 200 metres from Omanu Surf Club premises
  • Papamoa Beach, within 200 metres from the Papamoa Surf Club premises

Beach means any land on or adjacent to the seacoast and includes any walkway, boardwalk, the foreshore and dunes.

This means that dogs are not allowed on the dunes, grass or boardwalk at Mount Maunganui main beach.

This also means dogs are not allowed on the grassed area between the road and beach at Pilot Bay.

Parks and reserves

  • Elms Reserve
  • Mauao (Mount Maunganui) including the base track
  • Moturiki (Leisure Island)
  • McLaren Falls Park
  • Papamoa Hills Park (within Western Bay of Plenty District Council)
  • Inside any fenced children's playground or within 10 meters from any play equipment inside any unfenced children's playground
  • Otumoetai Pa Historic Reserve at 29 Levers Road

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2 comments

Seems a shame...

Posted on 13-08-2018 12:40 | By morepork

... if this baby has to be put down. From the video it seems quite healthy and the gash will heal in time. If it is not weaned yet it might be possible for DOC or the SPCA to find a temporary home where it could be bottle fed until it is able to go back to the water on its own. I think there are any number of families in Tauranga who would be glad to take care of it until it is better.


Why kill it?

Posted on 13-08-2018 16:20 | By GreertonBoy

Why not dart it, sew it up and give it to a zoo/marine park if it is too young to be released? Why do do-gooders always want to kill wounded animals... and stop marine parks having animals? I am sure this baby seal would rather live in a marine zoo than be killed? Let it live and let people see and enjoy its company....


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