Dead sea turtle heading to Te Papa

An endangered leatherback sea turtle that washed up on a Banks Peninsula beach is on its way to Te Papa. The dead 200kg male leatherback was found at Pigeon Bay. Department of Conservation Biodiversity Ranger in Akaroa Derek Cox said the cause of death was not yet known.

“It could have been old age, it could have been plastic, or fishing nets,” Cox said.

The sea turtle was reported to DoC when it was found on Monday by the owners of the Annandale villas nearby.

“I went for a drive out there initially to get photos and take measurements,” Cox said.

The turtle was floating with the tide but Cox managed to drag it in and secure it to the beach on Monday afternoon.

But the next day the turtle had floated away.

“I had to go for a swim, which is not how I expected my day to go,” he recalls.

With such a heavy animal, the recovery “took a little bit”.

A farmer with a tractor then helped Cox load the sea turtle on to the back of his truck.

On the way back to HQ, however, he made a very important stop at the local primary school, so the children could have the chance to admire the animal.

“They all loved it,” Cox said.

He took the turtle to a pet food company where it was bagged up, labelled and kept chilled. A curator from Te Papa is expected to collect the animal.