Environment – Beware of the dog

Dogs love beaches, and there’s nothing that quite represents freedom and summer as a dog running on the beach. Unfortunately, not every beach is appropriate for dogs. So all those instances this summer when dogs have been in wildlife refuges, on dog-prohibited beaches, in regional parks, chasing shore birds, and sniffing out penguins, has been good for dogs but sad and bad for nature.

I’ve seen boaties come ashore at Sullivan’s Bay to let their dogs do their business, and while the boaties wait, the dogs have been several hundred metres away, out of sight, up the cliffs and along the shoreline unsupervised. I saw local young fishermen at the Waiwera spit, with their very handsome dogs, all trundling past the ‘Dogs Prohibited’ sign, past the ‘Wildlife Refuge’ signs, past the sandwich board that told a sad story of the dotterel and oystercatchers’ nests ruined, abandoned, and eggs lost. I saw a family with their doggy friend among picnickers and swimmers, who said they’d been taking their dogs to the beach for years and had never seen the clear sign at the entrance to the park saying ‘No Dogs Allowed’.

There are only about 1700 Northern New Zealand dotterels. They nest in a scrape on the ground with little or no lining, often in relatively open areas with little cover. But overall, because of their low numbers, wide distribution, predation risk, diminutive stature, vulnerable nesting habits, and competition for beach space with people and their dogs, they’re under pressure

The oldest New Zealand dotterel may have lived at least 42 years. But breeding is a problem as it’s easy to stand on their eggs, or to displace them from their favoured sites. 

Even the more common oystercatchers are vulnerable to human and related impacts.

Because they seem conspicuous with their cute little orange bills, and their noisy vocalisations, we probably take them for granted. But they also only number in the lowish thousands, are vulnerable to habitat disturbance, predation and nest destruction. This summer, I saw one get caught on a fishing line in an area where a sign said they’re struggling to breed. Oystercatchers are monogamous and can live for at least 30 years in the right conditions, among a number of reasons why they’re pretty cool, quirky little birds.

While dogs might not directly predate these birds as they do flightless penguins, even the presence of dogs can disturb feeding and breeding, which is especially problematic for migratory species. We need more places for dogs to run and get exercise and feel the freedom of their inner wolf, but I wish people would read the signs and respect the birds, too.

Christine Rose
christine.rose25@gmail.com