Endangered black turtle recovers from wounds, begins rehab at Auckland aquarium

Thursday, 18 June 2020

A turtle found stranded on Auckland beach belongs to a species naturally found near Costa Rica and the Galápagos Islands, according to veterinarian Dr James Chatterton.

A wounded turtle that washed up 'a long way from home' on an Auckland beach is now in stable condition.

The black turtle, a species naturally found near Costa Rica and the Galápagos Islands, baffled an expert when it turned up on the North Shore's Takapuna Beach on May 27.

Napier City Council wanted to build a new National Aquarium and Oceans Centre.

The turtle was taken to Auckland Zoo's vet hospital in a 'collapsed and dehydrated' state but after making a recovery it has started rehabilitation at Kelly Tarlton's aquarium.

Auckland Zoo senior veterinarian An Pas said the turtle continued to improve while it was in her care.

The black turtle was found on May 27 in a critically ill state, and 'collapsed and dehydrated'.

* Critically-ill black turtle washes up on Auckland's Takapuna Beach

* Rescued turtle Calvin returns to sea following Auckland rehab stint

Auckland Zoo vet nurse Celine Campana (left) and senior vet An Pas treated the turtles wounds until it was stable enough to be shipped to Kelly Tarlton's aquarium for rehab.

“It’s now eating by itself and the wound on its shell that we cleaned out and treated is already showing good signs of healing,' she said.

“As the vets for Kelly Tarlton’s we’ll be continuing to check on it regularly, and hopefully down the track it will be able to be returned to the wild.”

The 26 kilogram reptile was found with a temperature of 16 degrees Celsius, well below its normal 24-degree body temperature.

It's not known what caused the wound on the turtle's shell, but it's unlikely it occurred within its natural habitat due to the linear nature of the lesion.

Auckland Zoo confirmed the turtle improved to the point that it could be transferred to Kelly Tarlton’s aquarium for ongoing rehabilitation.

Kelly Tarlton's spokesperson Maddy Seaman said the turtle's progress to recovery had been 'amazing'.

“Currently this turtle is back of house in quarantine so we can monitor it closely. We currently have it on a high protein diet of fish pieces to help build up muscle condition and to ensure it can sink,” she said.

“We are hoping it will be able to return home as soon as the ocean is warm enough so we can be confident about its survival.”

Head of vet services Dr James Chatterton previously told Stuff the turtle was “a very long way from home”, as the species usually live near Costa Rica and the Galápagos Islands.

“It doesn't look like a significant enough injury to have caused this turtle to have come so far away, it's still a little bit of a mystery,” Campana said.

The black turtle species is classified as endangered, with populations on the decline due to overharvesting by people and plastic bag pollution.

Anyone who comes across an injured or stranded turtle should not try to move it and should phone the Department of Conservation on 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).