She is a jewel of Otago’s wildlife, and Department of Conservation staff are pulling out all the stops to protect her.
Well-known sea lion Gem has had another pup at Smaills Beach — a female — and Doc biodiversity ranger Jim Fyfe said she could become an important addition to the local breeding population in the next four years.
"But survival to breeding age is not a given," he said.
Gem’s last pup died after it was struck by a vehicle at Hoopers Inlet.
He said staff had confirmed the sex for eight of the 14 pups they knew of so far this season, and found only two were female.
"The female pups are therefore extremely valuable and extremely vulnerable."
While it appeared Gem and her pup were doing "very well", he said Doc had concerns for them and other sea lions camping by roads.
"We have signage in place at Smaills Beach but we are aware that a lot of people do not take notice of signage.
Mr Fyfe said as sea lion numbers increased, he could only hope people would become more aware of them and their habitat needs.
"We are not going to be there 24/7, and these female sea lions would not want us to be.
"Our plea is that everyone respects signage that is put in place to afford them some protection."
He said several of the females Doc knew of with pups were now on the move.
"So we will be watching those around Tomahawk and Smaills beaches closely in case we need new signage or intervene to move them or fence them when they come into the proximity of hazards like roads.
"There are also at least half a dozen local females we suspect will have pups, but they are yet to come out of the woodwork.
"If you are driving on coastal roads anywhere in Otago, drive cautiously and be aware that you could encounter sea lions on the road, even in places where there is no signage."
