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In New Zealand
the Maori call the fur seal Kokono. The New Zealand fur seal is
one of the species on some of the coast of New Zealand and
Australia. In New Zealand it is mostly found on the South
Island. The fur seal of New Zealand is protected under the
Marine Mammal Protection Act. They got protection as from 1894.
The seals are largely hunted since the last years and mainly
since European settlers discovered New Zealand. True seals and
fur seal make both part of the Pinnipedia. Their relatives are
the sea lions. Fur seals and seal lions are part of the
Otariidae which are called walking seals or eared seals. In New
Zealand the population of the fur seal is estimated between
fifty thousand and sixty thousand. Fur seals are prey animals
for sharks and whales. The female fur seal attain maturity at
between four and six years old and they will be able one time a
year every year or sometimes less. The breeding time is between
November and January. When humans settled in New Zealand it
became a source of food for them mainly for the Maoris. |
