One of the big challenges was people ignoring the signs showing which areas were off-limits to dogs, he said.
“You would be under zero illusions whether it’s okay to take your dog down there or not.
“Some people just don’t give a toss, really.”
There were at least two penguin attacks in the months leading up to Christmas, Wright said.
Late last year a baby penguin chick about 40-50 days old was found by a surfer upside down in a puddle.
He said the bird was badly injured and presumed to have been shaken by a dog.
Prior to that, a tourist witnessed a penguin being attacked by an off-lead dog.
“Its owner was down by the water, the dog was up in the sand and the dog had a penguin in its mouth, and it was shaking it.”
Wright said the tourist had yelled at the owner.
“The woman turned round, looked kind of horrified, but then wandered off with a dog off the leash down the beach.”
Since the penguin death, locals had been less tolerant of people breaking the rules, but some were met with aggressive responses, Wright said.
Drivers also a hazard
Another hazard the penguins faced was cars on the beach, Wright said.
In peak periods in the evening hundreds of cars could be seen heading back from the beach, he said.
The cars posed a hazard to penguins nesting in the dunes that needed to cross the traffic after coming ashore.
A beach driver permit was required to drive on Muriwai Beach.
- RNZ
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