The threat of pets
North Island brown kiwi killed by dog
Devastation caused by cats and dogs
The only flightless perching bird known in New Zealand, the Stephens Island Wren, was discovered and soon after eliminated by a lighthouse keeper's cat in the late 1800s. Just 17 specimens of the little bird were ever collected.
North Island saddleback, pied tit, tui and red-crowned parakeet were eliminated on Cuvier Island, off the Coromandel coast, mostly through predation by cats. Cats were introduced to Mangere Island, in the Chathams, to control rabbits but in addition had also eliminated at least two species of seabirds and most forest birds by 1950.
In 1987 a dog was on the loose in the Waitangi State Forest in the Bay of Islands. It rampaged for six weeks and by the time it was caught, as many as 500 of the 900 kiwi living there had been slaughtered.
This was not an isolated incident - between 1990 and 1995 dogs caused 135 (70%) of 194 kiwi deaths reported in Northland. Pet dogs accounted for 29 of those, feral or wandering/stray dogs 38 and significant numbers of others were reported involving farm, pig/goat hunting dogs and a duck shooter's dog which killed at least five birds. Deaths caused by pets included dogs being taken for daytime walks and dogs not tied up at night, at home or camping. In the same period five kiwi were also killed by a feral cat and others by mustelids (ferrets, stoats and weasels).
A single stoat killed 73 diving petrels and two white-faced petrels on Rabbit Island in 1996.
Cats are attracted to the same kinds of wildlife while dogs mainly affect kiwi, weka, rail and penguins.
In addition to these problems, dogs on the loose are well-known for upsetting beach and bush walkers to the extent of serious bites and harassment and for fouling public places.
Destruction from other "tame animals"
Many apparently "tame" animals can cause surprising damage in the wild. Even hedgehogs, which eat mainly insects, also adversely affect ground-dwelling birds by eating their eggs. Mustelids are particularly vicious killers affecting birds as large as kereru (NZ pigeon), along with lizards, insects, moths and butterflies.
Natural instincts to hunt
Although these stories may sound extreme, destruction on a more limited scale is quite possibly occurring very close to you on a regular basis. For example, advocating kiwi protection from dogs in the Coromandel area forms a major part of the BNZ Kiwi Recovery Programme.
However much you love, care for and train your pet most retain natural instincts to hunt. You may never know the damage they cause.
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