Wandering Dogs Threaten Sanctuary Kiwi

The dogs were spotted by a local resident yesterday (Tuesday) morning, who immediately alerted the Department of Conservation and neighbouring residents.

Despite searching the area from mid afternoon until dark, a team of Department staff was unable to locate the dogs.

The incident is particularly disturbing because so much effort is going into saving kiwi in the Whangarei sanctuary, says a Department spokesperson, Clea Gardiner.

“Rewarewa reserve is home to the greatest density of kiwi for the size of the site nationally.  About 1200 kiwi are estimated to live in and around there and the adjacent reserves.   The Department and many others are working hard to improve bird recruitment and survival there, so learning about the dogs is incredibly disappointing.”

Dogs are the biggest killer of adult kiwi in Northland, where the average age of our national icon is just 14 compared to 40-65 years elsewhere in New Zealand.

While the work around Aponga, Purua, Riponui and Matarau is focused on improving the survival rate for chicks and young birds, dogs are a significant killer of kiwi of all ages, Ms Gardiner says.

“Everyone working to protect kiwi knows about this problem.  We’re putting lots of energy into working with and supporting residents living near kiwi to help with dog control.  It only takes one dog to wipe out large numbers of birds.”

Using community phone trees to alert locals to wandering dogs is an important component of taking local ownership, says Ms Gardiner.  “It’s one way of taking action to combat the dog issue.  We’re very reliant on communities to assist and get the message out there that dogs and kiwi don’t mix.”

Anyone spotting these dogs or any other dog wandering in areas where kiwi live should contact the nearest Department of Conservation or district council office.