Panguru locals are being asked to avoid stray dogs after a man was believed to have been mauled to death by a pack of them yesterday.
Panguru locals are being asked to avoid stray dogs. Stock photo Photo: 123RF
Police believe a man has been killed by dogs in the Far North community of Panguru.
One dog was shot dead by police, one was captured and three were still on the loose, Far North Area investigations manager Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Dalzell said.
Police don't yet have a description of the dogs.
It was a "scary situation", Kaikohe-Hokianga ward councillor Moko Tepania told Morning Report.
"This is something out of a horror story to be honest, that we've had someone who's been mauled to death by dogs."
He estimated there to be about 50,000 dogs in the district and said stray dogs were an issue, though nothing like this had happened before.
"This is extremely horrific and I really do feel so much aroha for Runaruna, which is a community just out of Panguru.
"This is just something you'd never want to happen in your area."
Puketawa Road was a 10km-long metal road "just a little bit of an upgrade from a goat track".
Tepania wasn't surprised the dogs had gone missing as the area was "as rural as you can get".
"It is a well used road but it is extremely rural, it's surrounded by bush and mountains and rivers. So if these dogs had gone to ground then until they come back it could be a real struggle to try and locate them."
Photo: Screenshot / Google Maps
Everyone in the area had either pet dogs or hunting dogs, Tepania said.
"I'm wondering if these are hunting dogs that have been mistreated or left hungry ... or if they're feral dogs.
"If they're feral dogs, dogs that nobody actually owns that are just roaming around up there then we do need to get onto this to make sure there aren't other packs of dogs like this."
Tepania said he sends condolences and aroha to the whānau of the person who has died.
He asked the wider country to support the whānau how they could, while respecting their privacy.
Locals needed to be very careful on Puketawa Road and to report any dogs they saw, he said.
"Be extremely careful ... keep safe, maybe not let your tamariki be out and about and run around or go down to the water hole or anything like that until we get a better look into the situation.
"We do need to get onto this as a community, as council, as police, to make sure that everyone over there can be safe."
