Tetrodotoxin from sea slugs was originally thought to be the cause of a series of animal deaths on the beaches of New Zealand. Now an uptick in dolphin deaths in the Hauraki Gulf has biologists urging that the investigation needs to look beyond sea slugs as the cause.
From the
UK Times Online NZ beaches empty as dogs poisoned by killer seaslugsNew Zealand's normally teeming North Island beaches have been emptied after a spate of mystery poisonings left five dogs dead and the bodies of hundreds of fish, dolphins and penguins littering the coastline.
At least two dogs in Auckland, NZ's largest city have been found to have been killed by tetrodotoxin, a poison found in the deadly pufferfish and at least a dozen others have become seriously ill.
More than 1000 fish,penguins and seabirds also washed up dead on beaches around Auckland at the same time dog owners began reporting their pets' illness.
From the New Zealand Herald:
Biologist urges closer look at dolphin deaths
A spike in the number of dead dolphins in the Hauraki Gulf could point to a problem other than poisonous sea slugs - if only authorities would do the necessary tests, says a researcher.
Marine biologist Karen Stockin, who is responsible for autopsies on common dolphins that wash up around Auckland, wants authorities to investigate the deaths of eight otherwise seemingly healthy dolphins in the space of three weeks.
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