Department of Conservation biodiversity ranger Jim Fyfe, of Dunedin, said that as the New Zealand sea lion breeding season had now started, more pups would start "coming out of the woodwork" around the city from about the middle of this month.
This season’s births additionally marked a "next generation" of Dunedin’s sea lions becoming mothers as the local population grew, Mr Fyfe said.
Last year, a record 22 pups were born along the city’s coast and Mr Fyfe said this year’s breeding season could produce even more than that as young females began having their first pups.
"It’s promising that amongst the first four [pups] we’ve got, we’ve got two new breeders that weren’t breeding last year — that’s a good sign," Mr Fyfe said.
"It’s good to see the next generation come through strongly."
All of Dunedin’s New Zealand sea lion pups would probably be born by the middle of this month, but it was likely the pups would only be discovered — and added to the annual count — when mothers began to return to sea to forage on a daily basis.
After pups were born, mothers remained hidden away with them for about a week.
When sea lion mothers emerged from their hiding spots to return to sea, Doc staff, New Zealand Sea Lion Trust volunteers and members of the community would begin to spy on pups in their hideaways.
This year, the first pup was found on Christmas Eve, Mr Fyfe said.
The mother, Janet, had for the past two years had her pup on New Year’s Day right next to the car park at Aramoana, he said.
The public spot required signs and fencing to keep people out of her way as she took over an access track to the main beach at Aramoana.
"This year she’s gone and found a nice bit of private land tucked away at Warrington."
Shortly after the first pup was found, members of the sea lion trust went on a field day to Otago Peninsula and found another three, Mr Fyfe said.
One mother, 5-year-old Tasman, had her first pup and with her was her mother Zoe (18), who was also heavily pregnant.
"Grandma was in residence as well.
"She was looking like she was imminent as well, so that’s pretty special," Mr Fyfe said.
Another first-time mother, Lulu (4), had what was believed to be a female pup.
Lulu was the daughter of 13-year-old Huru, Mr Fyfe said.
Huru was the last pup of Katya, the first sea lion pup to be born on a Dunedin beach after Dunedin’s sea lion matriarch, Mum, came to Dunedin in the 1990s and became the first sea lion in 150 years to give birth on the mainland, Mr Fyfe said.
