A group of 41 fur seals - one mum and 40 pups - has been found in Te Oka Bay, near Christchurch, by a couple out walking.
Originally believed to just be a group of an estimated 25 seals, a ranger from the Department of Conservation (DoC) has confirmed today that the number had increased to 41.
In a statement, DoC said it believed the seals had been dead for two to three weeks.
"They were found high up on the beach, above the high tide mark, and we think they were probably swept there by high seas," the statement read.
"This is a remote area of the peninsula and locals have told us that there were stormy, heavy seas about the time we think the seals died."
DoC is investigating the situation, and hopes to send the dead seals to Massey University for necropsy to figure out the cause of their deaths.
It has been confirmed they are New Zealand fur seals, a protected species, so there is a sense of urgency to find out how they died.
Operations manager for DoC Andy Thompson says they are leaning towards natural causes.
Around 12,000 fur seals live in the area, and there is a population in New Zealand of 200,000.
Newshub.
