Whanganui District Council removes 20 animal carcasses found on South Beach

“Anyone who has dumped a carcass in the water, or on land where it could end up in the water, could be fined $750,” Higgs said.

“Discharging a carcass onto land is punishable by a fine of $300.

“While carcasses may have been dumped on beaches, animals can also enter waterways and reach beaches via rivers.”

Bryan Stent, Department of Conservation (DoC) biodiversity ranger in Whanganui, said the carcasses were not found on public conservation land and the DoC is not aware of any complaints.

“In the past we knew that livestock would be washed downstream by small or large floods; that may or may not be the case here.

“Carcasses and waste left behind are not only an eyesore, they can also lead to the spread of diseases and encourage the arrival of pests such as rats and possums.”

Ian Churchouse, president of the Hunting and Outdoors Club Whanganui, said the animals could have come from anywhere but if the carcasses had been discarded by hunters it was “quite irresponsible and disgusting behaviour”.

“Whanganui is a large area and there are a lot of hunters and wildlife around, so it could have come from anyone.

“The code of ethics says that if you take the life of a large animal, as an ethical hunter you have a responsibility to use as much of the life as possible.”

Many of the carcasses left over from the hunt were used as animal feed, he said.

“We would not tolerate that kind of behavior. There have been three competitions recently and the animals are generally disposed of responsibly afterwards.”

According to Stent, people can be fined for dumping carcasses and waste on public conservation land. However, DoC has not encountered any such problems in the Whanganui region recently.

The best way to clean up after the hunt is to bury the trash, away from trails, cabins, campgrounds and waterways, he said.

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health and general news. She started as a reporter in 2023.