Yesterday afternoon, a New Zealand fur seal/kekeno was discovered entangled in a net at a beach in Ōtaki. HUHANZ called the Department of Conservation (DOC) and deployed their wildlife response lead Jono to cordon off the young kekeno, so people walking their dogs or driving on the beach wouldn’t accidentally cause him distress. DOC arrived quickly and expertly cut him free. HUHANZ said, “It was a heart-warming sight watching him gallop back to the ocean!” Thank you for your mahi HUHANZ and DOC!
In the midst of exams and needing a dose of vitamin sea; today I visited one of my favourite spots in Dunedin NZ, and was lucky enough to encounter several New Zealand sea lions/pakake. As I was walking along the beach, I spied a large rope by the sand dunes. Worried it would be swept into the ocean and end up around a sea lions or other wildlife’s neck, I started dragging it along the beach toward the exit. (Students looking for free, arm/leg workouts: keep an eye out for ropes on beaches!)
As I was beginning to wobble, the lovely Michele, Jamie, Geordie, Mitchell and Lexis swooped in to help me, and even offered to dispose of it properly. Thank you for your mahi team!
These cases reinforce my belief that together we can protect innocent wildlife!
Photo: Kekeno by HUHANZ.