By Ruby Shaw of 
A sea lion seen with massive wounds from a shark bite should serve as a reminder to Dunedin beachgoers of who they are sharing the ocean with, experts warn.
The large male sea lion was seen emerging from the surf near Brighton Domain on Saturday evening, sporting gashes along his flank.
New Zealand Marine Studies Centre shark researcher Rob Lewis said while he could not determine the cause from photographs alone, the shape was "semi-consistent" with a shark's bite mark.
"I would say the most likely species to go for an animal of this size or of this species is probably in the great white category," Lewis said.
"Big sea lions are tough meals.
"If this animal was as big as it looks from the photos, [a predator] could have had a go and then gone, 'actually, this is a bit silly'."
If people did encounter a shark, caught one or found one dead, they should report it on citizen science project Shark Spy, he said.
"People should just continue as per normal with the knowledge that whenever they go into the water, that's the risk they take.
"If you go into a wild area, you might encounter a wild animal."
New Zealand Sea Lion Trust co-chair Shaun McConkey said sea lions with shark bite injuries were uncommon but not unheard of.
"The fact that he was up and walking on all four flippers suggests that he's still mobile, that he's going to be able to swim and feed himself.
"Saltwater does a fantastic job of stopping infection ... I'm fairly confident that he's going to survive that and not going to have any issues."
He was not concerned about sea lions attracting more sharks to Dunedin waters - "we're certainly a long way off having enough sea lions to feed large numbers of sharks".
Dunedin woman Lakyn Hall said she was walking with her family near Brighton Domain on Saturday evening when one of her children spotted the sea lion "staggering" out of the surf.
"There was a huge shark bite on the side of him."
While the gashes were "pretty awful to see", the sea lion lay on the beach, seemingly unfazed by his injuries, Hall said.
"A bittersweet type thing, you know, seeing them hurt. But it's also really exciting to see one out in the wild."
Department of Conservation Coastal Otago operations manager Gabriel Davies said rangers were monitoring the situation and the sea lion should be left alone.
The injury looked "very superficial" - it had not broken the blubber or body cavity, and there was no bleeding, Davies said.
"Many species of sharks are naturally occurring in our moana year-round. It is a risk you take when entering the water so be aware, understand and care for the residents that live there."
Surf lifesaving Otago-Southland club support lead Felix Cook said there had been no shark sightings reported around Dunedin this summer.
If people see the wounded sea lion, they should call 0800 DOC HOT, keep dogs on leads and take photos from more than 20m away for safety.
- Otago Daily Times
