New Zealand Sea Lion Trust
The New Zealand Sea Lion Trust is a volunteer group based in Dunedin who are dedicated to saving this critically endangered marine mammal.
New Zealand Sea Lion Trust was formed in 2003 to support on-going research on the small but growing population of New Zealand’s only endemic pinniped seal.
NZ Sea Lions are endangered and a ‘nationally critical’ species, the highest threat category in New Zealand – this is the same classification as the kākāpō. Their main threats are competition for food, accidental drowning in trawl fisheries, disease and human disturbance. Despite being fully protected under the Wildlife Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act, NZ sea lions are sometimes harassed and killed deliberately, with several such incidents in Otago and Southland in recent years.
The return of the species to mainland beaches provides an ideal opportunity to study a re-colonising population and educate the public about this most charismatic of New Zealand species.
The bulk of our work focuses on population monitoring, education, public awareness and assisting management and research of this recolonising population.
Our research and monitoring efforts are therefore focused on the Otago and Catlins Coast at this stage.
More about us
To promote the protection and conservation of the endangered New Zealand Sea Lion through research and public education.
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The NZ Sea Lion Trust was formed in 2003 after breeding female NZ Sea Lions returned to the Otago coastline. The NZ Sea Lion Trust and The Department of Conservation (DOC) work closely together to conserve the NZ Sea Lions by monitoring females and pups, running community activities, delivering education programmes and supporting scientific research.
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Use of funds
Funds raised will be used to buy essential equipment, such as scanners, for the use of our volunteers in monitoring the movements of the individual sea lions.
Latest donations
Thank you Matt, great to have support in the UK.
Hello and thank you so much for donating to the work of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust. Your donation will help us as we search for pregnant females and their pups during the approach the New Year. There are less than 25 breeding females along the mainland as far as we know so they can take a while to find them all as they are stretched out along the Otago, Catlins and Southland coasts so your donation will be used to help us get volunteers out into the field. Thank You once again John Burke Treasurer
Dear Richard Thank you so much for the generous donation. This will help us to keep our volunteers cars filled up during the next season while they are out spotting and looking after the pups during the summer season. Hope to see you out there again. Thanks once again JohnBurke Treasurer
Who's involved?
