Dogs threaten kiwi in Nelson

The Department of Conservation is stepping up controls on dogs because of concerns about kiwi reintroduced into bush in Nelson Lakes National Park.

DoC spokesman John Wotherspoon said a pig hunter had lost one of his dogs on the northern side of the lake and two young men were seen in the park with a boxer dog near where the kiwi were reintroduced.

He said the penalty for being in a national park with a dog without a permit was jail or a fine up to $10,000, although it had not been decided whether to prosecute.

The nine kiwi were all alive and well.