A leopard seal pup born off St Kilda Beach, Dunedin, on Tuesday has been found to have had only ten percent of normal lung capacity.
The pup was euthanised on Wednesday after a vet determined it could not be saved.
NIWA cetacean biologist and leopard seal expert Dr Krista Hupman was part of a team that arranged for a CT and MRI scan of the pup – the first MRI scan carried out on any seal worldwide.
Dr Hupman said results showed the pup’s lungs were filled with fluid and were barely working.
“Unfortunately this meant if the seal hadn’t been euthanised it would have endured a slow and painful death. It was a huge relief for everyone involved to know that the decision to put the pup down was the kindest option.”
Dr Hupman flew from Wellington to Dunedin as soon as she heard about the pup’s birth.
“This is something I may never experience again in my lifetime so I really wanted to see it for myself. What is really significant is that this is the first time anyone has witnessed a seal giving birth to a pup in the water. “
After the pup was put down, Dr Hupman worked with the Department of Conservation, Otago Museum and local iwi to arrange for a CT scan and MRI.
“We know an MRI has never been conducted on any seal before so this is an incredible opportunity for us to learn more.”
The scan was undertaken by Pacific Radiology at a private hospital in Dunedin.
“I am so grateful to such a dedicated team of people who made this happen,” Dr Hupman said.
This event has sparked the formation of a group comprising NIWA experts, volunteer research group leopardseals.org and Otago Museum, to carry out more research on leopard seals around New Zealand.
“We are hoping to conduct a necropsy, or animal autopsy, on this pup and work together on publishing some of our findings from the CT and MRI scans. We hope the necropsy will help us learn more about this species that currently we know extremely little about.”
This group has set up a Give A Little page in a bid to recover the more than $3500 cost of the scans.
“Any help from the community would be very much appreciated,” Dr Hupman said. The website is https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/leopardsealresearch
Dr Hupman has been researching leopard seal sightings around New Zealand to find out if they are becoming more common.
The seals are an Antarctic species with New Zealand lying outside their normal range, but her research shows this may be changing.
She has set up an 0800 number for people to report sightings of leopard seals so she can collate further information on their presence within New Zealand waters. “I would encourage anyone with historical or current photos of leopard seals in New Zealand waters to call the hotline and become involved in this research.”
The number is 0800 LEOPARD (0800 5367273).
For more information contact:
Dr Krista Hupman, NIWA cetacean biologist
(04) 386 0527
Charlotte Neilson
Marketing Manager, Otago Museum
(03) 479 3279