PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY
Department of Conservation coastal biodiversity ranger Jim Fyfe said it was "fantastic" that sea lions lived on the doorstep of Dunedin residents, and it was good to see them happy, comfortable and sharing the beach with humans.
Because of the breeding season, more sea lions would be ashore at this time of year.
He encouraged people to respect sea lions’ space and to not disturb them. Dogs should be kept far away and on leashes.
While Otago was not yet recognised as a breeding colony, the presence of pups was an optimistic sign for one of the most threatened sea lion species in the world, he said.
Doc would be busy tagging locally born sea lion pups, and in many instances local rangers knew the sea lions’ whakapapa, Mr Fyfe said.
