She touched many hearts with her wagging tail, puppy dog eyes and spreading of joy! Not to
mention the incredible way she protected our local wildlife.
It has been almost a year since we lost our beloved Mena. A valuable member of the Kaikōura
Ocean Research Institute (KORI) for 8 years, she was a Hungarian Vizsla, who worked hard detecting
penguins all over New Zealand, but also was a loving pet and “a best friend”.
In 2002, the Department of Conservation established the Conservation Dog Programme which
formally integrated the use of dogs in their efforts to conserve New Zealand’s native wildlife. Dogs
have since been used with great effect in the detection of protected species and for controlling
introduced predators.
Mena became a conservation dog in 2015, by April 2016, Mena had gained full certification,
demonstrating a high level of obedience and effectiveness in safely locating penguins and their
breeding sites.
She has been a vital part of our Kaikōura penguin research programme, assisting in locating Little
Blue Penguins in the Kaikōura area. She has also been used by other NGOs and local governments
around New Zealand.
Not only did Mena impact each of our lives, as a penguin detection dog Mena also protected the
lives of many of our native penguins throughout New Zealand. This month, we’d love to take a
moment and remember Mena’s incredible work and the lives of humans and penguins alike that
benefited from her time amongst us.
Although Mena has gone to heaven (as all dogs do!), the great work of the Kaikōura Ocean Research
Institute continues. Help us to remember Mena by donating to continue the legacy that she has, and will always, be a part of! https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/remembering-mena
KORI is a network of marine researchers and educators who are committed to protecting what is
here in Kaikōura. We believe that this combination of research and education is key to our
conservation goals. We are a registered non-profit charity in NZ.
For more information, check out our website http://www.kori.org.nz or our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/kaikourakori/
Kaikōura Ocean Research Institute Incorporated 