Funding will help fortify against marine mammals and ravenous rabbits.
The Otago Peninsula Community Board has granted $2000 towards a fence to keep rabbits and sea lions out of a coastal plant nursery.
Tomahawk-Smaills BeachCare Trust nursery manager Dr Nicole Bezemer said the trust’s site at Smaills Beach was in the middle of a sea lion breeding ground and there had been significant activity.
Using a map of the grounds, Dr Bezemer placed stickers to show where females had entered the property.
“Gem has had two pups, Mahira has had three pups,” Dr Bezemer said.
“Moving down towards the beach care nursery, we’ve got Vega, right just like a metre off the road.
“We’ve got Tektite, who gave birth literally at our volunteer shelter, and then she moved into the nursery.
“So the beach care nursery is basically right in the middle of all this incredible sea lion breeding activity.”
Sea lions moving through the facility sometimes forced it to close for two or three months of the year.
There had also been a couple of brawls nearby.
“A couple of the big bulls found Tui up the Karetai and they proceeded to fight over her.”
Dr Bezemer lived close by and personally witnessed two males clashing about 20m from her home.
“Two sea lions fighting is basically like emotionally charged bulldozers driven by jealousy over a woman,” Dr Bezemer said.
Rabbits were also a problem for the nursery.
“I’d estimate we lost over 500 plants to rabbits.”
A wooden fence about 1.6m high was the preferred option, as bull sea lions could weigh more than 400kg.
Dr Bezemer thanked the board for the grant that would go towards a rabbit-proof and sea lion-proof barrier. The total project was expected to cost about $14,000.