Department of Conservation (Doc) senior ranger Jim Fyfe said it had been a busy weekend for wildlife services as sea lions and their pups began to head back to sea.
"At this time of year we’re sharing the coastal space with some pretty young and naive pups."
Mr Fyfe urged people to take heed of signs around beaches and keep their dogs on leads.
"Giving [pups] space, letting them be little sea lions and not trying to interact.
"Just enjoy them for the special taonga that they are."
Six-year-old sea lion Mika gave birth at a property in Normanby St, St Kilda, around New Year’s Day and recently began making foraging trips back to the sea, which required her to navigate several road crossings.
"That’s the whole thing with finding breeding habitat that’s safe," he said.
"The females are trying to find out what works and their breeding success really relies on finding a successful formula.
"And in the city situation, ‘inland’ means roads and dogs and people."
Once the pups were confident in the water, their mothers would move them to a creche on Otago Peninsula.
There, Doc would be able to tag any untagged pups and confirm the total number born.
So far, Mr Fyfe was aware of about 20 pups born around Dunedin this season and hoped to know final numbers by late-March.
