Dogs close tracks

Packs of up to 15 feral dogs have forced the temporary closure of tracks and a campground in the Far North. The Department of Conservation (DoC) has suspended public access to Twilight Beach Campground and Te Werahi Beach Track; Twilight Beach Track; Te Paki Stream Track; and Te Werahi Loop Track. While it is unclear how dangerous the dogs are, DoC believes they could be threatening on more than one level.

DoC Kaitaia acting operations manager Abraham Witana said the animals may be disease carriers and could pose a risk to people and livestock. “We’re not too sure — obviously — how dangerous they are, but at the end of the day we don’t know about their health checks.” Groups of the size being reported — such as the one report of 15 dogs to a single pack sighted by a local hunter — were new to the area.