Two dog owners have been fined after separate incidents of little blue penguins being killed near Nelson.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) said one dog killed a little blue penguin / kororā at Observation Bay on the Abel Tasman coast, and has been ordered to pay $1200.
Another dog owner was fined $200 by Tasman District Council for failing to control her dog after it killed a little blue penguin at Tapu Bay, Kaiteriteri.
It is not the first time DOC has issued warnings of this nature to dog owners in the region following a spate of little penguins/kororā being reportedly killed by dogs in the area last year.
More recently, four kororā / little penguins were killed by dogs in Wellington within a month.
DOC Motueka Biodiversity Ranger Leon Everett said dog owners have a responsibility to ensure they know where dogs can be taken, what dog control rules applied and for controlling their dogs to keep native wildlife safe.
"It's a legal requirement for dog owners to carry a lead in public, even in an off-lead area. Dog owners should also be able to call their dog back straight away," he said.
He said the ground-dwelling native species of penguin was "vulnerable" and could not escape dogs easily.
"It takes just a second for a dog to cause a fatal injury to a penguin, so owners need to be attentive to their dog's behaviour and be able to recall them immediately if they're showing interest in wildlife."
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