CCTV footage of the incident, which occurred on 26 July, shows a dark coloured four-wheel drive vehicle being driven along the beach at Dotterel Point at approximately 12.20 am. The vehicle driver's actions cause the gulls to scatter, before the driver and vehicle are seen looping back along the beach.
Department of Conservation Principal Investigation Officer Hayden Loper says the carnage was quite confronting for rangers.
"The deaths of these protected birds were entirely avoidable, and it's hit our team quite hard."
The number of gulls killed suggests the birds were either resting or young and naïve enough to have had slow reactions to the threat posed by the driver and their vehicle.
"Red-billed gulls may seem commonplace, but they are listed as 'at risk – declining' and are absolutely protected under the Wildlife Act 1953. There is no excuse for this kind of behaviour," says Hayden.
Extending from Pukehina Surf Rescue to the mouth of the Waihi estuary, Dotterel Point is a coastal dune providing habitat to many vulnerable species including New Zealand dotterel, variable oystercatchers, gulls, and lizards. Local community group Maketu Ongatoro Wetland Society have been working since 2012 to protect the fragile sandspit ecosystem.
The actions of the driver also violate Western Bay of Plenty District Council bylaws for appropriate vehicle beach access.
Hayden says it is believed the offending driver was behind the wheel of a dark coloured Toyota Hilux or similar vehicle, with a distinctive bull bar, and the driver may be a local resident.
"It seems they may have left through one of the smaller beach access points, indicating the driver is very familiar with the area."
Although the footage has the driver and vehicle on the beach for approximately four minutes, covering 500 m, tracks further down the beach had disappeared with the tide; so the exact exit location is unknown.
Killing absolutely protected wildlife carries a maximum penalty of up to two years' imprisonment or a fine of up to $100,000, or both.
