The Department of Conservation (Doc) yesterday confirmed a sea lion pup was discovered dead on Hoopers Inlet Rd on May 15.
The 5-month-old female pup was found in a ditch beside the road and displayed signs of blunt force trauma.
It was just a week after a male pup was found dead on the side of a road in the Catlins.
‘‘Given the location, the type of injury, and the presence of some car undercarriage on the road, we are confident this death was a result from a vehicle collision,’’ Doc coastal Otago biodiversity ranger Moss Thompson said.
New Zealand Sea Lion Trust spokeswoman Jordana Whyte said the death was unfortunate, but she was not shocked by it.
‘‘Hoopers is probably our number one concern when it comes to road interactions.
‘‘It’s the same reason I’m not surprised to hear that this pup was killed in that spot, because we know that’s where loads of activity is with the pups.
‘‘They’re right next to the road,’’ she said.
Asked what could be done to stop this from happening again, Ms Whyte said if there was one specific solution ‘‘we haven’t uncovered it yet’’.
‘‘The things that we have tried around getting the public messaging out and asking people to slow down, putting up signs, that clearly hasn’t worked 100%.’’
Something more, or something different, needed to be done, she said.
There had been a high number of pups on the road near Hoopers Inlet this breeding season.
‘‘We’ve been lucky up to this point that it hasn’t happened, and that so far it’s one pup.
‘‘There’s nothing to say it won’t happen again this season.’’
Mr Thompson said Hoopers Inlet was a well-known sea lion hotspot, especially around this time of year when they used the location as a creche.
To keep both sea lion and motorists safer, the road was already heavily managed with temporary fencing, reduced speeds and signs indicating sea lions may be present.
The female pup was seen healthy two days before the incident, alongside her mother — one of the oldest breeding females in the growing population, he said.
Otago was one of the only places where sea lions were increasing in numbers; the main populations in the New Zealand subantarctic were facing serious declines.
Everyone had a part to play in supporting the species’ return to the mainland, Mr Thompson said.
‘‘Keeping a cautious eye out when driving in coastal areas is something we can all do.’’
Doc is calling for anyone with any information to come forward.
• Doc hotline on 0800 DOC HOT (0800362-468).
