Wildlife Hospital director Lisa Argilla confirmed in a statement yesterday a New Zealand scaup, or papango, was admitted to the wildlife hospital with "catastrophic" injuries, "consistent with metal projectiles".
The wholly protected bird died within 12 hours of entering care.
It was unclear if the scaup was intentionally targeted, or was accidentally shot, but Department of Conservation coastal Otago operations manager Annie Wallace said the department treated the incident seriously "and will respond to reports of injured birds".
"Fortunately, the deliberate harming of native wildlife is not common, but from time to time Doc hears about birds that have been shot," she said.
There are four protected waterfowl species in New Zealand, including the scaup, grey teal, brown teal, and blue duck, or whio.
The maximum penalty for shooting protected species is two years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to $100,000.
The onus was on shooters to be aware of the species they had in their sights, Otago Fish & Game officer Morgan Trotter said.
"Any doubt ... don’t shoot," he said.
