The deaths of five blue penguins, near the North Otago Golf Club, appeared to be caused by dogs, Department of Conservation ranger Kevin Pearce says.
Mr Pearce and fellow ranger, Helen Jones, went to the blue penguin nesting area on Beach Rd yesterday morning, after a member of the public contacted the blue penguin colony to say they had seen dead birds.
They found five dead penguins, three of which were freshly killed.
It appeared two of the birds were dragged out of their burrows and then killed.
Due to the erosion at Oamaru Creek, and the subsequent displacement of breeding birds, it was a possibility the birds were moving to Beach Rd.
"There's certainly a lot of blues nesting there," Mr Pearce said.
One of the birds was banded, which meant it came from either the Oamaru Creek reserve or the blue penguin colony.
Mr Pearce urged people to be more vigilant with their dogs and, if anyone saw dead penguins, to contact Doc.
"You can't blame the dog. It's a natural thing for them to do," he said.
