Dead kiwi in Northland's Trounson Park has iwi and DoC eyeing dog owners

Zane Harris from DoC checking on kiwi in Northland's Trounson Park, where a dog is believed to have killed one of the birds recently.

The Department of Conservation along with local Iwi Te Roroa will be on the lookout over summer to combat wandering dogs attacking kiwi in the Trounson Park area.

The need for the surveillance work comes after a kiwi was killed in the park recently, probably by a dog. Dogs are one of the main killers of kiwi in Northland.

"The recent death of kiwi probably from dog predation has come as a huge disappointment to Te Roroa and DoC in the Trounson area," Snow Tane, general manager for Te Roroa said.

"Without DNA it's not possible to locate the dog but with the injuries sustained by the kiwi, Te Roroa and DoC staff are confident this death has occurred as a result of a dog attack."

The kiwi death has angered the iwi and DoC.

"Dog predation of adult kiwi can decimate kiwi populations in a very short space of time and these populations take many years to recover" Stephen Soole, DoC operations manager at Kauri Coast said.

"Previous incidents around Northland show that dogs will return and kill kiwi for as long as they have the opportunity to do so."

Te Roroa and DoC are encouraging anyone, if they see a roaming dog, to report it to Kaipara District Council's Animal Control on 0800 10 58 90. It is best to provide the location and description of the dog in order for officers to respond.

You can also report this to 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) anonymously if you prefer.

When kiwi carcasses are found in good condition the Department of Conservation can take DNA samples to trace them back to dogs, which was done successfully last year in Russell where a dog owner was fined $4500 after his husky killed two kiwi.

The maximum penalty is a $20,000 fine or up to three years in prison. An order can be made for the dog to be destroyed.

Because kiwi lack a breastbone, even a small bite can crush them, DoC says.

The biggest threat to kiwi chicks is stoats, and to adult kiwi it's dogs. Cats also kill kiwi chicks, and ferrets frequently kill adult kiwi.