In this edition of myth busters, we are going to be busting myths about New Zealand sea lions/pakake.
– Pakake are smelly and unhygienic… They smell like fish. While they don’t have a uniform toiletry system like pigs, they are not necessarily unhygienic.
– Pakake are threats to humans… They are not. They are not motivated to harm us. But if they feel threatened by us, they will bark/huff/hiss and if we do not back off, they will charge a few metres.
– Run if charged by a pakake… No, walk away and increase your distance from them. They are like dogs and are curious. As the Department of Conservation Ranger Jim Fyfe says, “Be boring and they’ll lose interest.”
– Pakake are violent… They are not violent by nature. Males will fight other males to establish themselves on a territory to mate.
– Pakake are pests… They are not pests, as they do not significantly affect another indigenous species. Their population increasing will not result in the decrease of another indigenous population.- Seals cause fishermen nuisance… Unfortunately, this can be the case. Using barriers and exclusion devices or noise makers are suggested deterrents. Please do not use weapons – this will only serve to escalate the situation. They do not deliberately cause nuisance; the ocean is their home and fish are their diet.
– Feeding seals is harmless… It is harmful. Seals may imprint on humans and stop foraging for themselves. I was informed that Orua (Auckland Zoo’s Subantarctic fur seal) came to reside there because he had been fed by humans and kept showing up at populated beaches. Orua came to rely on humans for his food and could no longer survive in the wild.
Photo: Pakake by Sian Mair.