Conservationists are calling for dog restrictions to go further in Tasman following the death of another kororā/ little blue penguin in June.
The penguin is the latest killed by a dog following a spate of attacks across a number of years in the region, prompting the Tasman District Council to review its Dog Control Policy and Bylaw for the first time since 2014.
Linda Jenkins from Tasman Bay Blue Penguin Trust told Breakfast the council had made a “good start” with their draft bylaw but wanted to see the council “step up to the plate” with better controls and compliance for dogs.
“These tragedies are just so preventable. They’re so easily preventable if we have better controls around dogs on beaches.”
She said currently dogs were allowed on beaches without a lead under effective control, which she said could be interpreted differently by various dog owners and was “not doing enough to protect native species”.
“A lot happens in that time. The number of dogs increases, the number of penguins decreases so the maths simply don’t stack up in favour of our native species.”
The Tasman District Council said on its website: “Dogs must be kept on a leash in, or adjacent to, all urban areas and also in the presence of protected wildlife.”
“What we have seen in this latest draft by council is they are starting to include narrative around conservation, around protection of native species. So that is really good to have that coming into their narrative, but that needs to follow through in terms of better protection at specific places that are habitat areas,” Jenkins said.
She said their organisation didn’t see “any merit” in having dogs share space with a protected native species.
“Research overseas has shown that if there is a presence of dogs on beaches, the birds will take flight. So, if the dog is loose, 100% of the time the birds take flight. If a dog is on leash, 94% of the time the bird will fly.
“Penguins are different because they can’t fly.”
Nearly 300 submissions made so far — Tasman District Council
Tasman District Council’s website stated that part of the bylaw review aimed to balance the needs of dog owners with the importance of protecting wildlife, particularly in sensitive areas.
In a statement to 1News, it said the current concerns from conservationists about the native species was “part of the reason the review is being undertaken” and said there had been 294 submissions made to date.
“Submission[s] close on September 8, and we encourage as many people as possible to have their say by visiting the website,” it said.
