Nest attacked at Lyall Bay dog beach

PAUL EASTON
HUTT VALLEY REPORTER

17/08/2012

Two little blue penguins have been found dead at Lyall Bay, after setting up home in a dog exercise area.
Bradley Turner, 25, found the birds with puncture wounds last night, while walking his dog at the Wellington Airport end of the beach.

''I had my dog on the lead, and she could smell something.''
On closer inspection Mr Turner found penguin chicks nesting in the nearby rock wall.
''You could see claw marks where dogs had been trying to get at them. I just thought it was pretty stupid to have a dog park if penguins are nesting there.''

A Wellington City Council spokesman said the council was not aware that little blue penguins were nesting at Lyall Bay.
''It's an area that they are rarely seen.''

However it was unlikely the dog exercise area would be moved, he said.
South Coast beaches from Moa Point to Breaker Bay - where penguins were more frequently known to nest - were dog free, he said.

He urged dog owners to keep an eye on their animals, especially during penguin nesting season.
Council officers planned to inspect the rock wall today.

The world's smallest penguin, little blue penguins stand just over 25 cm tall.
There are known to be about 300 breeding pairs on Matiu/Somes Island which is predator-free, but around New Zealand's mainland, numbers are not known.

Conservation Department biodiversity programme area manager Peter Simpson said dogs were one of the main threats to little blue penguins.

''However people do like to walk their dogs on the beach, and the council has to put the areas somewhere.''
DOC advises the public to tie dogs up at night and keep them on a leash at the beach.

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