Images have emerged of the first sea lion pups born on Dunedin beaches this season.
However, Department of Conservation (Doc) coastal Otago biodiversity ranger Jim Fyfe said it was increasingly evident even more care was required around the city’s growing number of sea lions.
The first pup of the year was born at Aramoana on December 18. A pup born at Smaills Beach overnight on Saturday took the total to four by Sunday, Mr Fyfe said.
"It’s worth saying that three of the four sea lions [to have given birth] have come well inland from the coast and they seem to be using human roads and fences and buildings as barriers to avoid the male sea lions finding them," he said.
Last year’s record count of 31 pups was the most in the area since pre-European times.
Yet, for a breeding population of sea lions to be considered a colony, at least 35 pups must be born for five consecutive years — and it was hoped the number of pups would reach that "magic number" this year.
While the magic number of 35 related to a "technical definition" of a sea lion breeding colony, "you certainly can see it’s also meaningful in that at this stage sea lions seem to be everywhere".
The breeding season was due to continue through next month, but the lengths expectant mothers were going to avoid aggressive male sea lions seemed to have increased.
And those actions were making Doc staff somewhat anxious, Mr Fyfe said.
Doc believed there were 38 or 39 breeding-aged females in the area. In places such as Ocean View and Kuri Bush, the large marine mammals had been seen crossing roads where speed limits were 80kmh or 100kmh.
"It would be easy for an inattentive driver to inadvertently slam into one of these big pregnant females," Mr Fyfe said.
"And that would be tragic."
People who saw sea lions in the city at this time of year should give the animals space, observe them from a distance, and call Doc.
"It’s through public sightings of these mothers and pups that we’re able to keep tabs on them and eventually we’ll tag the pups and that helps us understand the population.
"We’re still lucky enough to have a family tree back to Mum [Dunedin’s first breeding female], so all the breeding females, we know their whakapapa."
■0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).
