A protected red-billed gull/tarapūnga has been euthanised and two other gulls have been seriously injured following a spate of shootings in the Dunedin area in recent months.
Staff from the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital have been left "shocked and saddened" over the series of shootings, most likely from BB guns or air rifles, DOC said.
One red-billed gull/tarapūnga was admitted to the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital with an injured wing. Radiographs showed a pellet or bullet lodged in his chest cavity. The injury was believed to be at least two to three weeks old when he was taken to the hospital as the skin had completely healed.
The gull also had an aspergillosis infection, likely due to the stress and immunosuppression from the injury. He had to be euthanised due to the extent of his injuries.
A post-mortem found the pellet embedded in his left lung.
It was followed by another red-billed gull/tarapūnga which was admitted in October with a BB gun pellet injury. The injury, which was at least a few days old, left the bird unable to fly.
The third bird, a black-backed gull, was found with a BB gun bullet in the neck. The injury was suspected to be around two to three weeks old.
DOC Coastal Otago operations manager Gabe Davies said it's taking the incidents "very seriously".
"We urge the public to report any incidents involving firearms and native birds, or any protected native species for that matter," he said.
"Undoubtedly, these gulls have been suffering — some of them over a period of weeks."
Hunting or killing absolutely protected wildlife carries a maximum penalty of up to two years' imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $100,000.
Anyone who witnesses an incident involving a person harming wildlife has been advised not to intervene, but to report it to DOC on 0800 DOC HOT or the police. People are asked to record details of vehicles, descriptions of people, locations, species and when they saw the incident.
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