200kg turtle found in Akaroa may be trucked to Te Papa in Wellington for science

Wednesday, 20 March 2019

A massive rare sea turtle has washed up in Akaroa. 

 The endangered leatherback sea turtle is the largest of all living turtles, and this one – which is estimated to weigh more ythan 200kg – could be driven to Te Papa in Wellington for scientists to determine the cause of its death. 

Department of Conservation biodiversity ranger Derek Cox said the turtle was so large they had to move it with a farm tractor, and it would be a 'logistical nightmare' to take to the capital city. 

It was possible the turtle had died from consuming plastic, Cox said. 

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The turtle washed up on a farm in Pigeon Bay, and on Monday, they used a tractor to lift it on to Cox's ute. 

'We brought it in to the workplace here [in Akaroa] and tried to sort out what we were going to do with it, and get it to Wellington. 

'As you can imagine, 200 kilos of turtle is quite a logistical nightmare to move around.' 

The turtle measures 2.4 to 2.5 metres long and 1.8 metres across, and Cox estimated it would weigh between 200kg and 300kg. 

They decided to drive the turtle to Christchurch, but stopped at the local school to show students first, Cox said. 

It was rare, the third leatherback turtle he'd seen in 12 years, and the first one they'd been able to keep, he said. 

At this stage there's no indication how the turtle died. 

'We haven't got any idea of what killed it, that's up to Te Papa. It could be full of plastics.' 

On Wednesday, DOC staff were working to freeze the turtle for its next journey, which was likely to be by truck. 

Te Papa have not yet confirmed that they can receive the turtle but a spokeswoman said they're interested in it for research.