The Department of Conservation is pleading with Dunedin dog owners to keep their dogs under control when exercising in wildlife areas, following the death of a shag in St Clair yesterday.
Doc biodiversity assets programme manager David Agnew said a Dunedin couple walking along the esplanade, witnessed a grey Staffordshire cross dog mauling a native spotted shag.
He said the couple saw the dog owner (whom they described as a man with a shaven head) kick the dog and pull the badly injured shag from the dog's jaws before throwing the bird into the sea.
The couple retrieved the bird and took it to St Clair Vets, who found it had a broken wing.
Mr Agnew said the bird's injuries were too great, and a veterinarian had to euthanise it.
"It's pretty upsetting that the dog owner didn't have his animal under control sufficiently enough to stop it from mauling one of our native species.
"The disregard for the welfare of the bird is disgraceful. It doesn't paint a very responsible picture."
Mr Agnew said under the Wildlife Act, the offending dog could be destroyed, and the owner imprisoned for 6 months or fined up to $100,000.
The Spotted Shag was an endemic species, he said.
Of the world's 36 species of shag, 12 are found in New Zealand and 8 of these are endemic.
"We are pleading for dog owners to be really aware if they are exercising their dogs where there's wildlife in the vicinity."
Mr Agnew called for anyone who had information about the dog and its owner to contact the Department of Conservation.
