Stoat suspected in little blue penguin massacre

Almost 30 little blue penguins found dead near Dunedin at the weekend were killed by a stoat or ferret on a feeding "frenzy", an autopsy has found.

A member of the public found the 29 bodies at Doctor's Point on Saturday and the Department of Conversation (DOC) is now doing what it can to hunt the killer.

David Angew, the local conservation services manager, says the "rampant attack" was probably carried out by just one or two animals.

"It shows that these mammalian pests are hardwired to kill our wildlife for food or sport," he says.

"A lot of them had been bitten on the back of the head or the back of the neck and the body has been left intact. I think often they'll just eat the top of the head and they'll eat a bit of the brain - it's like they're on a frenzy."

DOC staff will head out to the area shortly to lay traps near the Mapoutahi Pa headland and it's hoped they'll find success overnight. The traps are catered specifically for stoats and ferrets and are designed to keep other types of animals out.

Mr Angew is asking locals to be especially vigilant about their dogs and to report any predator sightings over the next few months to give the penguin population a chance to recover.

"At this time of year, penguins are particularly vulnerable as they are raising chicks," he says. "We’ve lost these birds plus any offspring they would have added to the population in years to come."

Little penguins, sometimes known as little blue penguins, are found over much of New Zealand's coastline and in southern Australia. They are not endangered, but numbers are declining.

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