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Otago Daily Times
13 hours ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Whale caught in cray line near Moeraki freed
A young humpback whale entangled in ropes and in "immediate danger" off the coast of a small fishing village north of Dunedin has been freed. A co-ordinated effort between the Department of Conservation's expert whale disentanglement team, a local fishing crew and mana whenua freed the juvenile to sub-adult whale yesterday about 10.45am, off the coast near Moeraki. Doc coastal Otago operations manager Gabe Davies said the whale, believed to up to 9m long, was in immediate danger as it was caught in a 12mm braided cray-pot line with a single float. Doc made the decision to work with a local fishing crew already on-site. "We're incredibly grateful to the local crew for their calm response and skilled handling of a difficult situation," Mr Davies said. "This outcome shows what's possible when people on the water act calmly and responsibly." Mr Davies said the response highlighted the value of strong local relationships. "Working closely with Te Rūnaka o Moeraki and experienced fishers made all the difference. Everyone had a shared goal — to help this animal get free safely.' Doc disentanglement team leader Dr Cat Peters said no-one could be blamed for the incident. "They [humpbacks] tend to be a bit like the puppies of the sea; they'll play with things or swim close to things as they're making their way up our coast. "Once they get one bit of entanglement on them, they tend to panic and that just worsens the entanglement." Entanglements were more frequent at this time of year when whales migrated north to breeding grounds in warmer waters and in September when they returned. She said it was important to save the entangled whales: "Every whale counts." The team was involved in up to 20 entanglements a year. The hardest part of the job was finding the whales after they were entangled, she said. Doc was aware of another sighting from Friday. There might still be a second entangled whale off the coast of the Chrystalls Beach-Bull Creek area, east of Milton. It was also possible the whale freed at Moeraki had remnants of cray line still attached. Doc's expert disentanglement team remained on stand-by. What to do If you spot a whale that appears entangled or in distress — — Call 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) immediately. — Note the location, time and description. — Stay well clear. Do not approach or attempt to intervene. — More information on whale entanglement and how to help can be found at:
Otago Daily Times
16 hours ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Joint effort frees whale caught in line
A young humpback whale entangled in ropes and in "immediate danger" off the coast of a small fishing village north of Dunedin has been freed. A co-ordinated effort between the Department of Conservation's expert whale disentanglement team, a local fishing crew and mana whenua freed the juvenile to sub-adult whale yesterday about 10.45am, off the coast near Moeraki. Doc coastal Otago operations manager Gabe Davies said the whale, believed to up to 9m long, was in immediate danger as it was caught in a 12mm braided cray-pot line with a single float. Doc made the decision to work with a local fishing crew already on-site. "We're incredibly grateful to the local crew for their calm response and skilled handling of a difficult situation," Mr Davies said. "This outcome shows what's possible when people on the water act calmly and responsibly." Mr Davies said the response highlighted the value of strong local relationships. "Working closely with Te Rūnaka o Moeraki and experienced fishers made all the difference. Everyone had a shared goal — to help this animal get free safely.' Doc disentanglement team leader Dr Cat Peters said no-one could be blamed for the incident. "They [humpbacks] tend to be a bit like the puppies of the sea; they'll play with things or swim close to things as they're making their way up our coast. "Once they get one bit of entanglement on them, they tend to panic and that just worsens the entanglement." Entanglements were more frequent at this time of year when whales migrated north to breeding grounds in warmer waters and in September when they returned. She said it was important to save the entangled whales: "Every whale counts." The team was involved in up to 20 entanglements a year. The hardest part of the job was finding the whales after they were entangled, she said. Doc was aware of another sighting from Friday. There might still be a second entangled whale off the coast of the Chrystalls Beach-Bull Creek area, east of Milton. It was also possible the whale freed at Moeraki had remnants of cray line still attached. Doc's expert disentanglement team remained on stand-by. What to do If you spot a whale that appears entangled or in distress — — Call 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) immediately. — Note the location, time and description. — Stay well clear. Do not approach or attempt to intervene. — More information on whale entanglement and how to help can be found at:
1News
05-05-2025
- 1News
Stowaway weka catches ride across Southern Alps
A weka who travelled from the West Coast to Christchurch over the Alps has been returned home after his roadie adventure. The endemic bird caught a ride after a couple left their car door open at their campsite in Buller Gorge while packing up from their Easter getaway. The gear was split between campers Kim Ranger and her partner Ian's two vehicles, with the weka going unnoticed, hidden in dog blankets in Ian's ute despite multiple stops. 'He didn't hear it, didn't see it, nothing. He got home to Christchurch and hopped out and didn't notice the weka," Kim said. 'When I got home, I opened the back door of the Ranger to get something there it was in the rear passenger footwell. 'I couldn't stop laughing, and then I came to the realisation, what on earth do you do with a weka in Christchurch?' Kim said they contacted the after-hours vet, SPCA and DOC but were told to care for the bird until morning. Apart from setting off the car alarm at 7am and covering the inside of the ute with poo, Kim said the weka didn't seem distressed. Kim named the weka "Ranger", after her last name and given its temporary home. Ranger was collected by DOC and checked over at the South Island Wildlife Hospital where — apart from being slightly dehydrated — was in good health and was released back to the area from where it hitched a ride. DOC Biodiversity supervisor Craig Alexander said the episode was a reminder for people to check their vehicles for any wildlife when camping. 'There are no wild weka in Christchurch so we wouldn't want to see them accidentally introduced here.' 'In the last few months, we also had someone accidentally bring two wētā over from the West Coast in their wetsuits,' said Alexander. If you find a native animal has snuck a ride somewhere, it shouldn't be; contact DOC on 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) for advice on what to do next.
Otago Daily Times
05-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Weka returned after 300km ride to Christchurch
A weka nicknamed Ranger has been returned to the West Coast, after climbing into a ute and hitching a 300km ride to Christchurch. The Department of Conservation says it is a reminder to people to check their vehicles for any wildlife when camping or in the outdoors, after two wētā recently made a similar trip inside a wetsuit and also had to be returned to the West Coast. Kim Ranger and her partner Ian stopped at Berlins campsite near Inangahua over Easter weekend, where it is thought the bird took advantage of an open door and climbed into their ute, hiding among dog blankets while they were packing up. Ranger said Ian then drove home without realised he had a feathered stowaway in the back. "He didn't hear it, didn't see it, nothing. He got home to Christchurch and hopped out and didn't notice the weka," she said. At home, she opened the rear door of the ute and saw the weka in the footwell. "I couldn't stop laughing and then I came the realisation, what on earth do you do with a weka in Christchurch?" She nicknamed the bird "Ranger", given its temporary home in their ute and her last name. She called the after-hours vets, SPCA and the Department of Conservation, who all advised them to leave it in the ute and wait until the next morning. "The weka didn't show any signs of being distressed, when you opened the door he just stood on the centre console and pooped - though he did set off the car alarm at 7 in the morning. "The inside of the ute was literally covered in weka poop." Doc staff took the weka to the South Island Wildlife Hospital in Christchurch for a check-up, where it was given fluids for dehydration. Doc biodiversity supervisor Craig Alexander said it was a reminder to people to check their vehicles for any wildlife when camping or in the outdoors. "We were able to get [the weka] back over to the West Coast in a small carrier cage on a bus and it was released near the area it had hitched a ride from. "There are no wild weka in Christchurch so we wouldn't want to see them accidentally introduced here. It's a good reminder for people to be mindful about unintentionally transporting animals in their equipment." Alexander said the two wētā accidentally brought to Christchurch inside a wetsuit from the West Coast were also taken back to the coast for release. "Our native species are unique but, in many places, they're doing it tough because of things like introduced predators and habitat loss. We don't want to accidentally introduce new species - even native ones - into places they don't belong as they could have unexpected impacts on our ecosystems." Anyone who found a native animal that had hitched a ride somewhere it should not have should contact DOC on 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) for advice on what to do next, he said.
Otago Daily Times
05-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Weka hitches 300km ride to Christchurch
A weka nicknamed Ranger has been returned to the West Coast, after climbing into a ute and hitching a 300km ride to Christchurch. The Department of Conservation says it is a reminder to people to check their vehicles for any wildlife when camping or in the outdoors, after two wētā recently made a similar trip inside a wetsuit and also had to be returned to the West Coast. Kim Ranger and her partner Ian stopped at Berlins campsite near Inangahua over Easter weekend, where it is thought the bird took advantage of an open door and climbed into their ute, hiding among dog blankets while they were packing up. Ranger said Ian then drove home without realised he had a feathered stowaway in the back. "He didn't hear it, didn't see it, nothing. He got home to Christchurch and hopped out and didn't notice the weka," she said. At home, she opened the rear door of the ute and saw the weka in the footwell. "I couldn't stop laughing and then I came the realisation, what on earth do you do with a weka in Christchurch?" She nicknamed the bird "Ranger", given its temporary home in their ute and her last name. She called the after-hours vets, SPCA and the Department of Conservation, who all advised them to leave it in the ute and wait until the next morning. "The weka didn't show any signs of being distressed, when you opened the door he just stood on the centre console and pooped - though he did set off the car alarm at 7 in the morning. "The inside of the ute was literally covered in weka poop." Doc staff took the weka to the South Island Wildlife Hospital in Christchurch for a check-up, where it was given fluids for dehydration. Doc biodiversity supervisor Craig Alexander said it was a reminder to people to check their vehicles for any wildlife when camping or in the outdoors. "We were able to get [the weka] back over to the West Coast in a small carrier cage on a bus and it was released near the area it had hitched a ride from. "There are no wild weka in Christchurch so we wouldn't want to see them accidentally introduced here. It's a good reminder for people to be mindful about unintentionally transporting animals in their equipment." Alexander said the two wētā accidentally brought to Christchurch inside a wetsuit from the West Coast were also taken back to the coast for release. "Our native species are unique but, in many places, they're doing it tough because of things like introduced predators and habitat loss. We don't want to accidentally introduce new species - even native ones - into places they don't belong as they could have unexpected impacts on our ecosystems." Anyone who found a native animal that had hitched a ride somewhere it should not have should contact DOC on 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) for advice on what to do next, he said.
