The carcasses were discovered by Kakanui resident Sharyn Pope on the foreshore near the Kakanui River mouth while she was walking her dog about 6pm on Tuesday.
One of the carcasses attracted the attention of her dog.
"I thought ‘what is that?’ ... then I saw the other one. It didn’t look like there were any puncture wounds or anything at all."
Ms Pope often walked her dog in the area and had seen dead animals on the beach in the past.
"You get the odd sheep and I think we’ve had a seal. Whether they [the pigs] washed up or were dumped I don’t know."
Waitaki District Council environmental services manager Jason Evered said council contractors were informed of the pig carcasses on Wednesday morning.
It was not clear if they were domesticated or wild animals.
Mr Evered said it did not appear the carcasses had been discarded.
"At this time we have no evidence to suggest these have been dumped.
"Dead animals often wash up on beaches and shorelines up and down New Zealand and different agencies have different responsibilities around the disposal of these animals. In this case we believe the carcasses became stranded from the tide and nature will reclaim them on one of the next tides."
If carcasses needed to be removed from an area the council worked with the relevant authorities, such as the Otago Regional Council, to do so.
Mr Evered said when animals were dumped, the council had a range of options within its power to address the issue.
"We can issue infringement notices for littering and illegal dumping, or charge for costs of investigation and clean-up."
