18 Jan 2012

$1250 fine after dog taken into national park

3:49 pm on 18 January 2012

A man has been fined $1250 for taking a dog into a national park.

The Department of Conservation says the man took the animal to Flora Hut in Kahurangi National Park on the West Coast, putting kiwi and blue duck (whio) at risk.

This was in breach of the National Parks Act.

The department says the 26-year-old man pleaded guilty when he appeared in Taihape District Court.

The department says dogs kill ground-dwelling birds and are not allowed in national parks without a permit.