'Precious' eels die following sewage overflow in Murrays Bay
Kia ora neighbours. Residents of a Murrays Bay neighbourhood are heartbroken after a wastewater overflow into their creek killed about 30 “precious” eels.
The creek, on private property, is shared by about nine neighbours.
Resident Diane O’Connor said they held “high value” on the eels, some of which were estimated to be about 30-50 years old.
But on March 11, about 30 of the eels died from suspected ammonia poisoning after wastewater overflowed into the creek.
The neighbourhood took huge pride in its creek, and to lose so many eels in a manner in which they would have suffered was “heartbreaking”, she said.
“We’re incredibly upset about that because the eels are part of our neighbourhood. We absolutely love the eels.”
An investigation into the overflow by Watercare found a pipe had been blocked by solidified fat.
“This is why we encourage our customers not to pour cooking fats and oils down the kitchen sink. These solidify as they cool, and when combined with things like wet wipes, can cause blockages in our wastewater network," a spokesman said.
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⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️