A pleasant stroll along the beach with the dogs turned nasty for a Southland man last Monday when he made a gruesome find near Omaui.
The man, who did not wish to be named, discovered nine animal carcasses; two goats, six sheep and a cow; strewn along the shore, having apparently washed up at high tide.
Each was in a varying stage of decomposition, he said.
"The cow looked like it had been there for a couple or three days and had begun to bloat and some of the sheep and the goats had rotted down to the skin," he said.
"I've never seen anything like that. It's one of those things you'd envisage seeing in a movie.
"You really don't want to see that in the water or at a public beach.
While not sure how they might have got there, the man said it was odd there were three different types of animals and suggested farmers be more careful with their animals around waterways.
After seeing the carcasses, he promptly called Environment Southland, which dealt with the mess.
"10 points to Environment Southland, they were called, they got the job done, and I'm impressed."
Environment Southland compliance manager Mark Hunter said such incidents were common and "something we see at this time of year, every year".
"We spend a lot of money cleaning up after people," Mr Hunter said.
Mr Hunter said he too was not completely sure how they got there, but it did appear that some farmers were disposing of stock carcasses in waterways.
"When you consider during the wintering period there's a high stocking rate and they need to be fenced off 3 metres back you've got to wonder how the things are getting in the water.
"They're certainly not walking in."
"Fly tipping" at this time of year was common, he said.
"Instead of going to the rubbish dump, they go to a lowly populated area and drop it on the side of the road or on the road bridge. It's really disgusting.
"Through tagging we are able to trace who the owner is, especially with cattle, but regularly the tags are missing."
Environment Southland were also in the process of purchasing infrared cameras, he said.
"They're very small so they'll be lucky if they see them. In fact we hope they don't."
The punishment for dumping carcasses is one that no doubt will deter many wayward farmers.
"It's subject to the Resource Management Act and has a maximum fine of $200,000 or two years imprisonment if we can catch them," Mr Hunter said.
