Tracking turtles

Our Changing World

In late 2024 a cluster of sick green sea turtles washed up around the Rangaunu Harbour on the east coast of the Far North. It was just another mystery in a long line of all the things we don’t know about these ocean taonga. But a new telemetry study, using these very turtles, could change all that. The study has officially kicked off with the release of five satellite-tagged honu. Liz Garton finds out what secrets the researchers hope to uncover.

From now on Our Changing World will appear on Tuesdays in your podcast feed!

Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.

Guests:

• Dr Karen Middlemiss, Department of Conservation
• Dr James Chatterton, Auckland Zoo
• Celine Campana, Auckland Zoo
• Kim Evans, SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s

Learn more:

• Read the article that accompanies this episode: Solving green sea turtle mysteries.
• Find out more about the honu that visit our shores.
• RNZ’s Peter de Graaf describes the release of the first lot of satellite-tagged turtles in Northland.
• Learn more about the international effort to protect leatherback turtles

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details