Best laid plans...

So what was to begin my couple-week stint on an organic farm in west Otago has instead become a sojourn through the Catlins, in the deep southeast of the South Island.

These are New Zealand Sea Lions (also called Hooker's Sea Lion), Phocarctos hookeri. This species breeds off the coasts of the South and Stewart Islands, and throughout the sub-Antarctic islands. This tiny pup had plans too, to enter the water and join its mum. For some reason though this massive bull male would not have it. Every time the pup summoned the courage to make a move to the water, where its mother was waiting anxiously, the bull would roar and run at it, getting in the way of its path. Over and over again it tried, but couldn't get through, even with bold attempts by mum to come rescue it, so there it sat at the edge of the waves, resigned. I had no idea what to make of the bull's insistence that the pup stay on land and away from the female.

This little pup sure did stand up to this massive male though. It would hold its ground whenever the bull got all up in its face--very courageous considering the size difference here.

A close up view of the pup on Flickr.