Dying seal euthanised
A rare seal that washed up at a Horowhenua beach was left by the Department of Conservation for four days before being euthanised.
DOC was notified about the seal at Waikawa Beach on Sunday, but the Manawatu workers in charge did not respond until Wednesday, after a communication breakdown.
The crabeater seal, usually found in Antarctica, is recorded by Te Papa as the ninth to have ever made it to New Zealand shores.
DOC Manawatu acting operations manager Duncan Toogood said it was reported to another DOC office, but not passed on to the Manawatu office.
He would now try to ‘‘figure out why it wasn’t reported’’ to the right office.
Four days later, when the seal was checked by DOC staff, it did not seem to have any ‘‘obvious injuries’’, Toogood said.
But because it was such a rarity on New Zealand shores, DOC rangers were unsure what the best course of action was, he said.
DOC sought advice from one of its experts based in the South Island, as well as from Palmerston North’s Wildbase wildlife centre.
By Thursday, Toogood said the seal was ‘‘very emaciated, and showed no indication that it was willing or able to return to the sea’’, so it was euthanised.
‘‘Veterinary advice suggests that the seal was severely malnourished and wouldn’t recover on its own.’’
Horowhenua resident Samantha Tuitaalili called DOC on Tuesday after coming across the seal while walking along the beach.
She said it was wriggling around and looked as though it was in pain.
Tuitaalili was appalled DOC did not attend to the seal that day, and when she visited the beach on Wednesday it was still there.
‘‘When an animal is actually uncomfortable and needs help, that’s not fair.’’
DOC Manawatu ranger Kelly Hancock said seals would sometimes lie on the beach for days before heading back to the ocean and it was common for them to look emaciated during the colder months.
Seals frequently washed up on beaches in winter, because they provided a safe and warm refuge from the ocean, Hancock said.
DOC received a ‘‘high volume’’ of calls about seals in the winter, especially after bad weather.
‘‘We will only respond to reports of seals that are at risk of being harmed or causing harm, or are seriously injured.’’
People often reported seals as sick when they were crying, sneezing or coughing, but this was ‘‘typical behaviour’’, Hancock said.
‘‘[Calls] are often made by concerned citizens who don’t understand normal seal behaviour.’’
Euthanasia for fur seals, commonly found in New Zealand, was a ‘‘very rare event’’.
Seals would only by euthanised for animal welfare reasons, including if they had life-threatening injuries, Hancock said.
There are no facilities in New Zealand able to treat and rehabilitate a crabeater seal.