Stranded sea turtle rescued in Gisborne, treated at Auckland Zoo

This turtle was found on Midway Beach in Gisborne earlier this month and is recovering well at Auckland Zoo. Photo / Auckland Zoo

A wild green sea turtle is recovering at Auckland Zoo after washing ashore at Midway Beach in Gisborne.

A member of the public found the turtle earlier this month and contacted the Department of Conservation, which arranged to have it flown by Air New Zealand to Auckland Zoo.

“On arrival, our wild patient was found to be very quiet and had a very low body temperature,” Auckland Zoo reported on its website.

The top of the shell was covered in seaweed ... “a sign that they’d likely been unwell and floating for some time”.

A full examination was done the next day.

“The sea turtle was found to have a low blood glucose level, abnormal kidney readings and a very high white cell count suspicious of infection.

“Intravenous fluids and glucose were immediately given. To avoid shock, the temperature of the turtle’s tank was increased by 2–3C each day until normal body temperature was reached.

“It was then that our vet team could safely start treatment with antibiotics, antifungals and anti-inflammatory medication.

“During the first few days in care, the vets noticed no faeces were passed, which is a serious concern. Gut stasis, where food stops moving through the gut, is common and dangerous in stranded cold-stunned sea turtles.

“Similarly, turtles are prone to ingesting foreign material, including plastic, which can cause blockages in the intestinal tract,” the Zoo’s post continued.

Various treatment options continued.

Dr Adam Naylor looks over the turtle at Auckland Zoo. The seaweed covering its shell is a sign it was unwell and had been floating in the ocean for quite some time. Photo / Auckland Zoo

“After four days of X-rays, the results were looking positive, with no abnormalities detected. With this reassurance, the team decided to begin tube-feeding (giving food via a tube into the stomach) under close monitoring.

“It’s our hope that this precious patient continues to respond well. If so, the next step will be to transfer the sea turtle into the care of our Team Turtle partners at SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s to begin the longer process of rehabilitation.”

In an email to the Gisborne Herald, Auckland Zoo communications manager Jane Healy said the turtle had progressed from being fed by tube to being able to eat food by itself and was now eating squid and greens.

Auckland Zoo offered advice if people found a turtle in trouble.

“When sea turtles beach themselves in New Zealand they are usually in a critical state and it is often a last-ditch attempt to prevent themselves from drowning.

“If you ever come across a sea turtle stranded on a New Zealand beach, please report it immediately to DoC on 0800 DOC HOT, so they can respond appropriately to the situation.”

Healy said that most of the zoo’s rescued turtles came from Northland.

The Northern Advocate reported in February there had been “an unusually high number” of turtle strandings (19) on Far North beaches - “possibly the highest number of turtle standings ever recorded in NZ”.

The story said 13 had survived, and some were to be released back into the ocean.

DoC Senior Science Advisor Dr Karen Middlemiss told the Gisborne Herald green turtles were found all around the coastline in the North Island.

“One was sighted in the autumn by a fisher off the coast south of Gisborne and over the summer further north near Tauranga,” Middlemiss said.

If you accidentally catch one, release live turtles straight away and remove all fishing gear. If possible, or at the least, cut the fishing line so that no more than 1m is trailing behind the animal. Immediately phone 0800 DOC HOT and use the Protected Species Catch app to report."

She said it was likely that more turtle sightings in Gisborne and the Bay of Plenty region were not reported.

“It would be great if people could call DoC with sightings for our database and take a photo if possible, so we can confirm the species,” she said.

“This helps scientists better understand their distribution around our coasts. The green turtle recently rescued is a juvenile that had been living in a coastal area for some time to have grown such an impressive cloak. At this time of year the cold water temperatures in more southern areas like Gisborne are no good for these little fellas.”