Three little penguins/kororā have been killed by a dog at Little Kaiteriteri Beach, a known habitat for the native species, according to the Tasman Bay Blue Penguin Trust.
The trust's Linda Jenkins said the incident is a "preventable tragedy".
"Unfortunately, some irresponsible dog owners come to the beach and let their dog run loose on the basis that their dog wouldn't kill anything.
"Dogs are natural hunters with an acute sense of smell so they will hunt and kill. Since October 2022 we have recorded 6 penguin fatalities locally due to dog attack, and these are only the ones we know about."
It comes after a little penguin was found mauled to death on Wellington's south coast last weekend.
New Zealand Penguin Initiative's kororā coordinator Katherine Smith said at the time the species was already under risk from environmental pressures.
"This additional pressure of predator attacks, especially by dogs and dog walkers, is putting that additional pressure on the climbing population," she said.
On April 26, another penguin was found dead in a Dunedin restaurant bin after being killed by a dog.
DOC Coastal Otago senior ranger Shay van der Hurk said at least three penguins have been killed by dogs in Otago this year, and said more were preventable if people kept their dogs under control and gave wildlife the space it needs.
The official Department of Conservation threat classification of little penguins/kororā is "at risk, declining".
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