Tuesday, July 25, 2017

A ranger fears some rare native wildlife may have drowned in their burrows following the worst ever storm damage in the ten-year history of Dunedin’s Orokonui Ecosanctuary.

Head ranger Kelly Gough said the ecosanctuary sustained "significant damage" from the storm on Friday, and water had lifted the mesh of the predator fence, causing at least three small breaches.

Ms Gough said that any predator would have struggled to enter the ecosanctuary through the breaches because of the force of the stormwater.

But wildlife inside the ecosanctuary might have got caught out and drowned by the storm, especially those living in burrows.

She said kiwis should have been able to get out of their burrows in time, but animals like tuatara might be more vulnerable.

Ecosanctuary staff would be checking on the wildlife this week.

Items for sale in Dunedin