The owner of a dog which attacked and killed a seal pup in Napier last Monday will not face charges, nor will the dog be put down, the Department of Conservation says.
DoC Napier operations manager Connie Norgate said the owner had been "really honest" informing the agency directly after the incident.
"We haven't thought to prosecute him - that wouldn't be helpful given that we like to think people will come forward honestly," Norgate said.
They worked on a case by case basis.
"In this case, the guy was really honest, helpful and remorseful in terms of what had happened and we are really grateful he came forward."