Slowly but surely, the seven turtles stolen from Cornwall Park in Hastings are finding their way home.
By Linda Hall for Local Democracy Reporting
The red-eared slider turtles were taken after a large square hole was cut in the fence of the Cornwall Park aviary at the beginning of January.
The first turtle was found just days after the theft, sitting on the steps of a dance studio in Hastings.
Community support officer for Hawke’s Bay SPCA, Karen Hacking, said a member of the public called them after finding the turtle in Murdoch Rd.
“We asked them to keep it safe until we arrived,” Hacking said.
“They may be slow, but they can still move, and with a busy road and a nearby park, it was safest to keep the turtle contained.”
She said when the SPCA arrived, the turtle’s shell was very dry.
“We knew about the theft, so we took it back to the Hastings depot, set up an area with water and bought some food. It was obviously hungry, making short work of the food we put in the water.”
She said it seemed really social, responding to voices.
“Most turtles are shy and will retreat into their shells around humans, so that fact stood out to us and made us think it was most likely one of the stolen ones.”
The Cornwall Park aviary keeper visited the next day.
“He believed it was one from the aviary so it went back and by all accounts settled in well.”
A second turtle was dropped off at a Napier pet shop by a member of the public who also called Hastings District Council.
A council spokesperson said once it was confirmed to be one of the missing turtles, it was returned to the aviary.
“It was hungry but otherwise in good health.”
The third was returned by a Hawke’s Bay resident.
The council is also investigating a sighting of a turtle at Anderson Park in Napier.
The spokesperson said people had offered to gift turtles to the aviary.
“However, the pond is only large enough for a maximum of 14 turtles, so we are keeping the space for the return of those who have lived there all of their lives.”
Hacking said anyone thinking about getting a turtle as a pet should do their research.
“Just like any other pet, they need food and shelter. Turtles can live for a long time, and take just as much care as any other animal.”
Red-eared slider turtles can live for up to 50 years in captivity and grow to around 35cm in shell length.
At the time of the theft, a council spokesperson said it was vital the turtles were kept in a cool area with water.
“They should not be released into the wild as they are unlikely to survive and can cause harm to local ecosystems. They can prey on fish, aquatic plants, kōura and insects, as well as small birds such as ducklings, displace nesting wetland birds and degrade water quality.”
Four turtles are still missing.
A police spokesperson said at the time they’d received a burglary report that suggested the turtles had been stolen from the Hastings District Council-owned aviary sometime between midnight January 2 and 6am January 3.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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