Horror year for fatal dog attacks on kiwi

A rare tokoeka kiwi mauled to death by a dog. At least 23 kiwi were killed by dogs in 2018. Photo / Wendy Sporle

Dogs slaughtered more than 20 endangered kiwi last year – a toll which has prompted a plea to owners to take care around the national bird.

Department of Conservation records released under the Official Information Act showed there had been 23 deaths where dogs had been confirmed as the killers – along with a further three suspected cases.

The toll compared with eight dog-related deaths in 2017 and 10 the year before.

Several of the birds killed this year hadn't yet reached adulthood.

In June, near Whakatane, a house-sitter let a dog out to toilet and it quickly killed a juvenile that was in the backyard.

In another incident, near Whitianga, eight adult kiwi were found dead, at least five of which had dog DNA on their bodies.

There are around 70,000 kiwi left in New Zealand, but an average 27 are being killed each week, driving a decline of around 1400 birds every year.

While stoats and feral cats posed the biggest risk to chicks, dogs could obliterate a population of adult breeding kiwi in a short space of time.

In 2015, it took dogs just two months to kill seven kiwi near Kerikeri.

A heart-breaking photograph showing the bodies of the ravaged birds laid out on a mat, tags tied around their legs, demonstrated how a quick shake by a roaming dog was enough to kill the weak-chested kiwi.

Conservationists who recently launched bold plans to reverse the two per cent annual decline of kiwi, with a goal of building the population to 100,000 by 2030, say wandering dogs could hamper their efforts.

"It is frustrating to hear of a kiwi killed by a dog because it is preventable," said Michelle Impey, director of the national charity Kiwis for Kiwi.

"Years and years of heart and soul, volunteer time and scarce conservation dollars go into protecting kiwi, so to lose one (or more) to a dog is heart breaking."

The charity was ramping up its work in the North Island to stock nursery sites that in the future would be a source of birds to release to safe areas in the wild.

"We are optimistic that the decline of kiwi can be reversed but it will take the willingness and support of everyone," Impey said.

"And that includes dog owners. Every kiwi killed is a major set back in the plan to save the kiwi so our plea is to dog owners to do their bit by ensuring their dog never kills a kiwi."

She urged people travelling with their dog this summer to find out if there were kiwi or other threatened wildlife near where they'd be staying.

"If there are, consider leaving your dog behind with a friend or family member or in a kennel," she said.

"If you must take it with you, ensure it is always under control. That means on a lead, in a fenced yard or inside. Or for boaties, that means not taking your dog ashore for toileting on islands."

Impey said the call wasn't about being "anti-dog" – but rather a plea.

"Dogs do what dogs do – even the most well-trained and obedient dog may revert to instincts if a kiwi darted out in front of it."