A sea lion pup found dead on a Catlins road earlier this month has prompted a call for driver vigilance and raised broader questions about attitudes towards the species in parts of the South.
The Department of Conservation confirmed a 5-month-old male New Zealand sea lion was discovered on Hinahina Rd with injuries consistent with being hit by a vehicle.
The pup had been tagged in a recent survey.
The incident tops a list of at least four violent sea lion deaths in the Catlins over the past 18 months.
Clutha District Council Catlins ward councillor Dane Catherwood said the latest case was most likely accidental.
"I really don’t believe that anyone would purposely run it over ... I would say it’s just a pure road accident," he said.
"You can’t fence your whole coastline ... they are going to cross roads. We’ve just got to be vigilant.
"No-one wants a reputation for killing sea lions."
Cr Catherwood suggested additional warning signs such as those around Kaka Point could help. He would not be drawn on recent calls for a complete ban of vehicles on Catlins beaches.
South Otago Forest & Bird spokesman Jim Young and the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust chairman Shaun McConkey said they were satisfied the death was probably accidental.
"About one seal or sea lion a year is killed on roads around Dunedin," Mr McConkey said.
"I’m not aware of anyone who reported accidentally hitting one ever getting in any kind of trouble."
Doc Murihiku operations manager John McCarroll said the death was "a sad reminder" for motorists to take care, particularly at night, as sea lions increasingly returned to mainland habitats.
"There were only nine pups born in the Catlins area this season, so losing one will still have an impact on the population here overall," he said.
