Silence over dog deaths

Five or more dogs died on the Interislander Ferry on Monday according to passengers, but the police, SPCA and the ferry company have been silent on the matter.

Stuff repeatedly questioned the three organisations after claims more than five animals had died.

But they declined to comment on the number of deaths on board the vessel, citing an ‘‘ongoing investigation’’.

The police were called to the ferry terminal in Wellington at 10.25pm on Monday.

A witness and passenger, who asked not to be named, said Interislander staff did not call the police – her husband did.

‘‘The Interislander staff were doing nothing to help those dogs,’’ she said. ‘‘When they realised there was a problem, they were just trying to get everyone off the boat.’’

Five dogs out of seven died on a single vehicle, she said.

Interislander had a responsibility of care, she said.

‘‘The onus is on them, as much as it’s on the dog owner, to make sure there aren’t dogs in those vehicles.’’

The seven dogs were inside what looked like a metal toolbox, on the back of a ute.

When the driver arrived at the truck one of the dogs ‘‘was still clutching on to life’’ but several others already appeared to be dead. He tried to hand-feed it water, the witness said.

Marty O’dea was parked two cars behind the ute. He said it had been a ‘‘stinking hot day’’ and the hold of the ferry was muggy, with very little airflow.

When he came down the stairs into the vehicle hold, he saw one dog laying on the floor to one side of the ute and at least three on the other side.

‘‘It wasn’t moving. It was a corpse. Everyone was mortified. It was quite a traumatic sight.’’

He said one dog was still moving around the vehicle area. He said it was panting heavily and looked as if it had been doused in water – possibly to cool it down.

He thought it was disgusting animals could be left in a dog box in a hot cargo hold.

‘‘It’s hard to know who failed here, but there’s definitely been a brain explosion.’’

He thought ferry staff should be trained to identify a dog box so this situation wouldn’t be repeated.

Interislander general manager Mark Thompson said it was a tragic situation which had been very distressing for crew and passengers.

‘‘While we cannot comment specifically on this incident as it is before the police, Interislander has specific policies for carrying pets in cars and these are clearly stated on our website when booking travel.

‘‘Interislander has kennels available for hire in a shaded, well-ventilated environment.’’

Passengers who decided to keep their pets in their car during the Cook Strait crossing were asked to make staff aware at check-in, he said.

A tag would then be provided for inside car windows to advise owners on how to care for pets while onboard, he said.

Interislander could not guarantee vehicles with pets inside would be able to park in a shaded part of the ship. Vehicle decks are off limits for passengers during the journey unless a staff member is able to escort the person on request.

‘‘We make it very clear that keeping pets fed and watered is the owner’s responsibility, as we cannot be responsible for inspecting inside every car, trailer, and truck on board.’’

SPCA communications manager Jessie Gilchrist said the incident was being investigated and she could not give more details. The question, just how much collateral damage does 1080 poison do, could soon be answered through a peer-reviewed study commissioned by the Marlborough branch of the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association.

The association hired helicopters to sweep 60,000 hectares of Molesworth Station, counting the number of by-kill deer after the poison drop.

More than a year later, the results of the survey together with a report by Lincoln University PHD student Kaylyn Pinney will be released to the public ‘‘within a month’’.

Pinney would not release preliminary results, but said ‘‘many’’ deer had died on the station.

Deerstalkers Association Branch treasurer Wayne Smith said members had been concerned about the effect of 1080 on deer for many years.

He said using the poison on the high-country farm was like ‘‘using a sledgehammer to crack an acorn’’.

Molesworth Station was the target of a 1080 poisoning campaign in 2017.