By Eloise Gibson
4:00 AM Tuesday Jan 26, 2010

Mike Horne and Rosemary Tarlton with Dizzy, a three-limbed green turtle. Photo / Richard Robinson

When Dizzy the turtle was found flailing in the sea near Great Barrier Island, things were not looking good.

A shark had bitten off the 5-year-old’s flipper and the messy wound looked as though it would cut short the green turtle’s 100-year lifespan.

Now, the three-limbed creature, nicknamed Rascal by keepers, is set to become a grand old dame of the sea.

But the kindness did not come cheap. In fact, Kelly Tarlton’s chief executive Mike Horne estimated the six turtles it rescued annually cost $10,000 each.

Last night, on its 25th anniversary, the aquarium launched a marine wildlife trust to ring-fence that money and raise funds for future rescues.

Read full article from The New Zealand Herald.

Filed under: Ali Perkins, News/Current Affairs