Owha

Leopard seal (born before 2012)

He owha nā ōku tūpuna

Owha in 2016

Other name(s)| Owha
Species| Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx)
Sex| Female
Born| Before 2012
Residence| Waters off the northern North Island, New Zealand

Owha ([ɔfa], born before 2012) is a leopard seal that has been seen throughout the northern North Island of New Zealand, such as in Auckland's Waitematā Harbour, where she likes to sleep on pontoons. Being known for what the news media website Stuff has described as "highly inquisitive behaviour", Owha sometimes breaks fenders and pops inflatable dinghies. The long form of her name, He owha nā ōku tūpuna, is Māori for "treasured gift from our ancestors". The name was given to her in 2016 by local hapū Ngāti Whātua ki Ōrākei. She was last seen in 2022.

Owha's presence in Waitematā Harbour has been contentious, with some people wanting her to be relocated due to her tendency to cause damage to marine equipment, and the danger she poses to children and pets. The Department of Conservation (DOC) has decided not to relocate her, due to the danger of anaesthetics towards leopard seals, and the possibility that she swims back to the harbour.

DOC describes Owha as "the longest tracked leopard seal in the world." She has helped encourage the research of the presence of leopard seals in New Zealand, which led to them being reclassified from a vagrant species to a resident species in 2019.

## Life

[edit]

Owha was first spotted off Dunedin in 2012. Since 2015, she has been moving between various places in the country, including the east coast of Northland, Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, Dunedin, the Bay of Plenty, Whangārei,[1][2][3] Waiheke Island and other islands in the Hauraki Gulf,[4] as well as in mangroves.[5] According to The New Zealand Herald, Auckland's Westhaven Marina is her "favourite sun-bathing spot".[6] She likes to sleep on pontoons,[7] which would attract crowds of people;[8] during the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities discouraged people from posting her location online in order to avoid breaking COVID-19 gathering rules.[9]

In 2016, local hapū Ngāti Whātua ki Ōrākei gave her the name "He owha nā ōku tūpuna", or Owha for short, meaning "treasured gift from our ancestors".[4] Being known for what Stuff described as "highly inquisitive behaviour", Owha sometimes breaks fenders, and pops inflatable dinghies[10] or floods them by putting her head inside.[11] She has a body length of 3.1 m (10 ft) and a weight of 400 kg (880 lb),[12] as well as a V-shaped scar on her left cheek and parallel scars on her right side.[13]

In 2017, she had a fishing hook get lodged in a flipper.[14] In October 2019, she was found with a bleeding face, which was soon identified as being a gunshot wound.[15][16][17][7] She recovered.[18][19] In order to find the suspect, a $5000 reward was offered by the conservation group Sea Shepherd,[20][21][12] but the perpetrator was never found.[19] In April 2022, the Department of Conservation (DOC), Auckland Zoo and LeopardSeals.org worked together to cut free fishing hooks, a fishing line and sinkers from outside her mouth by using a long pole with scissors on the end.[22][23] But they were unable to remove the internal hook, as it would require that Owha be captured and anaesthetised, which the team considered too high-risk for Owha. Instead, they hoped the hook would rust away and the fishing line would be removed via defecation.[24]

Because leopard seals may defend themselves when they perceive a threat, DOC has placed several signs around several Auckland marinas that are often occupied by Owha, which explain how to stay safe near her. It is encouraged that people keep a distance of at least 20 metres (66 ft), and to keep children and dogs away from her.[4]

Owha has not been seen since May 2022.[25]

## Calls for removal

[edit]

Several people have suggested that Owha be relocated from Waitematā Harbour. One reason for this is the danger posed by leopard seals to children or pets. Another is her tendency to cause damage to marine equipment, as damage caused by her has totalled several thousand dollars.[10]

The Department of Conservation has said that relocating Owha is not an option, as the tranquilisers needed for it could kill her, due to a dive reflex seals have which stops them from breathing.[10][4] Another problem is that due to the fact that leopard seals often travel long distances, it is possible that if Owha were to be relocated, she may just make her way back to the harbour.[10][26]

In 2019, DOC started trialling harmless ways to get rid of Owha from Westhaven Marina, starting by using light and then moving to sound and hose water as a last resort.[3][26] A few months later, Empire Capital Limited—the owner of Bayswater, Pine Harbour and Hobsonville marinas—applied for rights to use those methods to remove her from their properties.[26]

LeopardSeals.org spokeperson Krista Hupman encourages the co-existence with Owha and, by extension, leopard seals. She suggests giving them toys to play with, to distract them from causing damage to marine equipment.[26]

## Research

[edit]

According to DOC, Owha is "the longest tracked leopard seal in the world".[1] In order to track her movements, and the movements of other leopard seals, DOC helped modify a phone app used to report Hector's dolphin sightings so that it can accept reports of other marine species.[14]

Owha encouraged Krista Hupman to research the presence of leopard seals in New Zealand. She and LeopardSeals.org (which she co-founded) gathered over 3,000 sightings records from newspapers, museums, a new hotline, and Māori middens, as well as three records of births on the mainland.[2][5] Following this, DOC reclassified leopard seals from a vagrant species in New Zealand to resident species in 2019.[2][27]

## See also

[edit]

* Mum (sea lion), who spent time in Otago

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Leopard seal provoked". Department of Conservation. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
2. ^ a b c "Owha and her friends awarded citizenship". NIWA. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
3. ^ a b "Oh no Owha! Seal makes snack of Auckland dinghies". RNZ. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
4. ^ a b c d "Antarctic leopard seal given a name as it makes Auckland her new home". Stuff. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
5. ^ a b "Move to reclassify leopard seals as a 'resident' NZ species". RNZ. 3 January 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
6. ^ Morton, Jamie (1 December 2017). "Auckland's Owha gets some summer company". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
7. ^ a b "Auckland's beloved leopard seal Owha apparently shot in the face". Stuff. 28 October 2019.
8. ^ "Owha the curious seal makes waves in Waitemata Harbour". RNZ. 25 October 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
9. ^ "Owha the leopard seal is back in Northland but don't post her location online". Northern Advocate. 4 April 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
10. ^ a b c d "Auckland leopard seal Owha causing trouble, but can't be relocated". Stuff. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
11. ^ "'Incredibly curious' leopard seal Owha returns to Auckland". RNZ. 14 August 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
12. ^ a b "Wanted: $5000 reward for information on who shot Auckland's famous leopard seal". The New Zealand Herald. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
13. ^ "Have you seen Owha? Search for injured leopard seal with foreign object in her mouth". Stuff. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
14. ^ a b "Owha the leopard seal wows ferry commuters". The New Zealand Herald. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
15. ^ "Leopard seal Owha injured in Auckland Harbour | NIWA". niwa.co.nz. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
16. ^ "Shot: Famed Auckland leopard seal Owha injured, firearm suspected". The New Zealand Herald. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
17. ^ "Leopard seal Owha's injury believed to be from bullet wound". RNZ. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
18. ^ "Leopard seal Owha recovering well from bloody injury". RNZ. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
19. ^ a b "Mystery remains over who attacked Owha the leopard seal". RNZ. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
20. ^ "Investigation into suspected gunshot wound of Auckland leopard seal Owha has good leads". Stuff. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
21. ^ "Auckland's resident leopard seal Owha resting after apparent gun shot to the face". Stuff. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
22. ^ "Concern for Auckland's resident leopard seal, Owha, after fishing hook stuck in mouth". Stuff. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
23. ^ "Auckland leopard seal Owha recovering after fishing gear removed from mouth". The New Zealand Herald. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
24. ^ "Owha the seal in distress as fishing gear gets caught in mouth". RNZ. 3 May 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
25. ^ Leopard Seals NZ (28 June 2022). "Have you seen Owha?". Facebook. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
26. ^ a b c d "Auckland marinas want to be able to remove seals". Stuff. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
27. ^ "Leopard seals now officially considered New Zealand residents". Stuff. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2024.