Turtle liberator saves endangered species from soup bowl

One man’s rescue operation in the South Pacific saved two endangered sea turtles from ending up as a bowl of soup.

Kiwi Arron Culling spotted what appeared to be loggerhead turtles at a Papua New Guinea food market. Instead of eating them, he released them back into the sea with the help of his pickup truck.

“Found these at the local market got them for 50 bucks,” Culling posted on Facebook. “Drove 5km up the road and let them go.”

Turtle liberation has become a hobby for Culling. He claims to have previously bought ten of the animals and sent them back out to sea.  

While six out of seven of the world’s marine turtle species are currently teetering on the brink of extinction, more than 42,000 of the animals are legally caught and killed by fisheries each year.

Endangered status of sea turtles. © worldwildlife.org