A green turtle that briefly came to be known as Trev received the same expert care given to all of its species that arrive at Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World in Auckland, but this time it was too little too late.
Trev, weighing eight kilos and so judgedto be around five years old, was found at Waipapakauri Ramp (90 Mile Beach) last week. Dehydrated and low in calcium, it was assessed by a vet and given calcium, fluids and antibiotics before being flown to Auckland, but the outlook was never very promising according to aquarist Matt Harvey.
"Unfortunately Trev didn't make it," he said.
"He was only in the first stage of rehab, which involves a delicate heating and medical treatment plan. The first 24-48 hours after they arrive here are the most fragile."
Green turtles should never be sitting on New Zealand beaches, he added. Females came ashore to nest in specific areas, none of which were in New Zealand (which was too cold), so most turtles seen were very sick. Various factors were behind that, and were still being researched, but cold, shock, boat strikes and blockages from foreign objects like plastics were some of the potential issues.
"Some of these animals could have been floating around New Zealand on a downward spiral for many months over winter before situations like spring storms wash them ashore as they are too weak to swim, and then people come across them," Mr Harvey said.
"Our programme is aimed at diagnosing their issues and then getting them back to full health for release back into the wild."
Heightened public awareness as a result of recent strandings and people contacting DOC (0800 DOC HOT - 0800 362-468) was a great help.
"The sooner we can get these stranded turtles into our programme the better their chances of survival," he added.
"We currently have five turtles on-site, all at different stages of the programme, and spring seems to be the common time of year with the changing and storming weather patterns that we see more turtles arrive."
The arrival of turtles on New Zealand beaches isn't new phenomenon, however. The first was recorded in 1876.
