Accused denies killing sea lion pup

Rua relaxes with its mother near the Warrington domain last year. Photo / Stephen Jaquiery, Otago Daily Times

A man accused of stabbing a sea lion pup to death has denied the charges against him.

The 52-year-old man has also been charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice after he allegedly made "threats to divulge untrue information about a police constable" in February, more than three months after the animal was found dead.

The defendant, who has interim name suppression, was due to appear at the Dunedin District Court today but the hearing was administratively adjourned.

The court confirmed not-guilty pleas had been entered and trial by jury elected.

He will be back in court in May when the issue of name suppression will be addressed.

The body of 11-month-old female sea lion Rua was found by DoC near Quarantine Point, north of the Portobello Marine Aquarium on November 6 last year.

A member of the public had reported seeing the lifeless animal to DoC.

Previous reports said Rua appeared to have been shot but according to court documents, the allegation is that the defendant stabbed the pup to death.

He faces a charge of taking a "Phocarctos Hookereri" - better known as a New Zealand Hooker sea lion - which has a maximum penalty of two years.

The man is also charged with wilfully ill-treating an animal causing it to die, under the Animal Welfare Act, and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

If found guilty of the latter, it may attract a potential jail term as long as seven years.

DoC Coastal Otago ranger Jim Fyfe said at the time the sea lion's death was "devastating''.

The New Zealand sea lion - population about 10,000 - is on the highly critical list.

Rua was just one of 11 sea lion pups born on the Otago Peninsula last year.

The arrest was the result of a joint investigation between Dunedin police, DoC and the Dunedin Sea Lion Trust, police said.