In Dunedin, a city in New Zealand, a road has been closed to protect a sea lion mother and her cub, who have settled on a golf course.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Dunedin, the second largest city on New Zealand's South Island, has decided to close a heavily populated road for a month. The reason? Protect a female sea lion and her cub. Hiriwa, this is the name of the mammal that gave birth to her baby at the beginning of January, was spotted ten days ago in a golf course in the area.
“We have closed John Wilson Ocean Drive to vehicles for the next month to allow some special residents to use the road safely: a New Zealand sea lion and her cub have settled on the golf course and regularly cross the road to go to the beach. "Dunedin City Council announced last week, reporting the closure also in a post on Facebook:
We’ve closed John Wilson Ocean Drive to vehicles for the next month to allow some special residents to use the road…
Posted by Dunedin City Council on Monday, January 11, 2021
City residents will still be able to walk or cycle down that street, but they will need to stay at least 20 meters away from the sea lions and above all keep their dogs on a leash. But for most citizens, this closure is not a problem, given the noble reason. "We are fortunate to have marine mammals on our coast and we have to share space with them, as this is what makes our land and the Dunedin coast so unique!" comment a user on Facebook.
As clarified by Jim Fyfe, coastal biodiversity ranger at the Otago Department of Conservation (DOC), this is the fifth pup for Hiriwa. And the latter gave birth to him right in the golf course in the bushes. The mother and the cub will spend about a month in this area, where Hiriwa has chosen to nest. In this period they will have to travel about 500 meters to get to the beach and feed.
Posted by Chisholm Links on Tuesday, January 5, 2021
New Zealand sea lions, an increasingly threatened species
New Zealand sea lions, also known as Hooker's sea lions or Whakahao in Māori, are an endangered species and, as pointed out by the New Zealand Department of Conservation, unfortunately there are only 12.000 copies left. These extraordinary marine mammals are in danger of disappearing forever due to the scarce availability of food and the onset of diseases that often lead to the death of even the smallest ones. But one of the biggest threats to sea lions is undoubtedly man. Often they end up trapped in fishing nets, ingesting plastic waste left on the beaches and turn into an attraction for mass tourism which at certain times does not give them respite.
While the number of New Zealand's sea lion population is declining, 2021 appears to be a great year for this species, at least in the city of Dunedin. “Approximately 20 sea lions living near Dunedin are expected to give birth this year. It will be a record number of births for us " Fyfe told Radio New Zealand. And fortunately in this city the authorities and citizens care about the well-being and future of these wonderful creatures, increasingly in danger.
Photos: Dunedin City Council/Department of Conservation
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- The sad images of sea lions at the zoo forced to tow a boat with three children
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