“Someone found to have discharged a carcass into water, or on to land where it may enter water, can be fined $750,” Higgs said.
“Discharging a carcass on to land can be punished with a $300 fine.
“While carcasses on beaches may have been dumped, animals can end up in waterways on their own and be washed down rivers on to beaches.”
Department of Conservation (DoC) Whanganui biodiversity ranger Bryan Stent said the carcasses were not found on public conservation land and DoC was unaware of any complaints.
“In the past, we have been aware of stock being washed downriver by minor or major flooding; this may or may not be the case here.
“Carcasses and offal left behind are not just an eyesore, they can lead to disease spread and encourage introduced pests such as rats and possums.”
Hunting and Outdoors Club Whanganui president Ian Churchouse said the animals could have come from anywhere but if carcasses were discarded by hunters it was “pretty irresponsible and disgusting behaviour”.
“Whanganui’s a large area and it’s got a lot of hunters and wild animals around it, and it could have come from any member of the public.
“The code of ethics says that if you take the life of a large animal, you have a responsibility as an ethical hunter to use as much as possible.”
A lot of leftover carcasses from hunting commonly went into pet food for animals, he said.
“We would not condone that sort of behaviour, there’s been three competitions recently and the animals are generally disposed of responsibly after that.”
Stent said people could be fined for inappropriately disposing of carcasses and offal on public conservation land; however, DoC had not come across any issues of this kind in the Whanganui area recently.
The best method of cleaning up after hunting was to bury waste well away from tracks, huts, campsites and waterways, he said.
Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.
