Rare seal parks up after long-haul journey

This leopard seal was a long way from its usual home on the Antarctic ice pack when it was spotted soaking up the sun at Māhia on Tuesday. Picture by Cinthya Chianca

An Antarctic leopard seal intrigued beachgoers at Māhia on Tuesday after it was first spotted by an early riser at Whangawehi Boat Ramp.

A photo that person shared to a local community Facebook page, of the seal resting in the darkness, piqued the interests of others. One couple decided to make a  special trip from Wairoa especially to view the rare marine visitor.

By late afternoon, numerous other people had gone to see the leopard seal, which had moved to a softer spot on the nearby beach. People said it looked in good health, albeit “a bit skinny at the back”, one man said.

Sightings of leopard seals, which are a protected species normally found along the edge of the Antarctic ice pack, are relatively rare in New Zealand.

However, in recent years there has been another sighting of one at Māhia and at least two spotted in Gisborne. Department of Conservation (DoC) staff warn people not to startle the seals, to keep at least 20 metres away, and to keep dogs under control.

DoC East Coast biodiversity ranger Jamie Quirk previously told the Gisborne Herald that leopard seals have a strong bite and can be more aggressive than fur seals.

“Although they can look lethargic when they’re lying on the beach, they can move very quickly. They’re large natural predators, and the largest of the species can grow up to 500kg,” Mr Quirk said.

“If people find themselves closer than expected, they should keep calm and quietly move out of its space.”

Some people have speculated the one at Māhia this week could be Owha — the first leopard seal ever entered into the New Zealand Leopard Seal Catalogue. Owha is a 3.1 metre seal with a distinctive V-shaped scar on her left cheek. She been residing in New Zealand waters since at least 2012.

Owha is short for her Māori name “He owha nā ōku tūpuna”, which translates to “treasured gift from our ancestors”. The name was given to her by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei after she spent more than a year in the home waters of the hapū around Auckland and the Waitematā Harbour.

With a penchant for taking time out on marina pontoons, Owha has also been spotted resting in harbours as far south as Dunedin and as far north as Tūtūkākā.

She has a reputation for being quite mischievous, biting boats and stealing inflatables.

However, she has also had her fair share of misadventure, media reports in 2019 relaying worrying accounts of her foaming at the mouth from ingesting a piece of plastic and having a nose bleed caused by a suspected bullet wound.

Information about Owha on the Leopardseals.org website warns that her love of boat harbours makes her prone to boat strike. Boaties are asked to keep their distance and stay alert as she’s quite difficult to spot in the water with only a little bit of her body and head protruding above the surface.

The organisation asks anyone who spots a leopard seal to report it to them – “to help us better understand and protect Owha and other leopard seals who visit and reside around our shores”.

Under the Marine Mammals Protection Act, it is an offence to disturb, harass, harm, injure, or kill a seal. Anyone caught doing so can face penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to $250,000.

Anyone who sees a crime being committed against a seal should report the incident to 0800 LEOPARD.

https://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/news/a-bite-as-bad-as-its-bark

https://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/news/rare-leopard-seal-visit-to-tolaga-bay

https://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/news/duo-of-marine-vistors-a-long-way-from-home

https://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/news/juvenile-leopard-seal-buried-on-the-beach