'It makes no sense at all . . . it is absolutely senseless'

Is this the bizarre crime caper to rule them all?

Nov 16, 2022

Last Friday I published a story in The Mish about the alleged catnapper of Roseneath. That was a bizarre animal yarn, which I thought would take some beating.

I was wrong.

Because around the same time, another unusual crime caper took place across the harbour, at Taiaroa Head on the Otago Peninsula (you can watch the area 24/7 courtesy of the #RoyalCam).

You know the story: Four albatross/toroa eggs were stolen from their nests, and were discovered in a routine walk-through on Thursday.

This is what we know:

Happened on Wednesday night. The weather was bright and clear (came a day after a blood moon).
The eggs were not taken by a predator, well, they were taken by humans.
Footage from the Albatross Centre and the Department of Conservation has largely been reviewed. Footage from Port Otago and the nearby Blue Penguins Pukekura will be reviewed.

This morning - almost a week after the theft - I had a wide-ranging interview with Department of Conservation (DOC) Coastal Otago operations manager Annie Wallace on this bizarre crime.

“We are not leaving any stone unturned,” she said of the investigation.

But I did glean some interesting details.

While the breeding ground was usually accessed by road, and then a footpath, it could also be accessed by water, a far more challenging prospect.

One of the more unusual features of the audacious theft is that the thief - or thieves - passed other eggs in their nests before taking the four in question.

That’s because the stolen eggs were taken from a place further away from the coast AND the carpark.

“The four nests were not the first nest they would have got to wherever they had come from.”

Wallace said she had been at the colony with experienced rangers who were able to advise which birds you could go near, and which ones should be avoided.

“I wouldn’t be going anywhere near them . . . it makes no sense to me that someone was going in at night time . . . they have big, sharp nasty beaks and they are not afraid to use them.”

While she was not in a position to comment on whether it was the work of one person or more, she stressed footage was being reviewed.

“The reality is that there is a range of different evidence that we are working with.”

However, she was not yet aware of any footage showing a person or people at the colony at a time when they shouldn’t be.

“There is nothing tangible yet, but there is some footage we are yet to begin looking at.”

Wallace confirmed the footage yet to be reviewed was not from the colony, but from Port Otago and a neighbouring tourism operator, which I’ve confirmed is Blue Penguins Pukekura.

That is important, because that would indicate that the egg thief may have approached the colony by sea.

Approached. The. Colony. By. Sea.

Looking at the below Stuff photo, the vessel would either have to approach or land on the beach, and then the egg thief(s) would have to avoid the various mammals that call that area home before scaling a fairly steep section.

Wallace said she was not aware of an international market for albatross eggs, nor were those who investigate those types of crimes for the department.

Eggs as trophies was a popular pursuit during colonial times “and I guess that trade, in some forms, still exists”.

You may recall my reporting on the case of a ‘Kiwi’ egg up for auction, an investigation showed it was actually that of a black swan.

If you are interested in the pursuit and study of eggs (for research/news purposes), or as it’s more formally known ‘oology’ - I recommend this article from The Guardian, which has the below quote explaining why ‘eggers’ do it:

“It’s an individual trophy that relates to that person, the location they took it from and the work they did behind the scenes to find the nest.”

And here is another description, courtesy of Canterbury Museum, which has 2500 eggs in its collection:

‘‘Egg collecting or oology has been undertaken by naturalists and hobbyists alike for almost 350 years. Egg collecting went through a hugely popular period in the 1800s but by the mid-1900s it had slowed down as it was seen less as a respectable scientific discipline and more as a fashionable hobby.’’

In the Dunedin case, it appears unlikely that malice or a grudge were potential motives, given the eggs were removed and not destroyed on site.

But the real reason remains a mystery.

“You bet your bottom dollar we have been doing the same thing since last Thursday, it makes no sense at all . . . it is absolutely senseless.”

It was unlikely the eggs were taken to eventually hatch, to incubate for three months and then to feed a chick before it left, “none of that stacks up”.

That also means the four eggs were likely to not have survived.

That also pointed towards a collector, and while there was no known New Zealand collector on DOC’s radar, there were potentially overseas markets.

Wallace confirmed those who liaised with other agencies, including Customs, were made aware of the theft on Thursday.

Asked why DOC took until Monday afternoon before going public, she replied: “We were just trying to understand what had happened the best we could.”

The stolen eggs represented about 10% of what was expected to be laid this season, which starts in November.

Not all eggs would end up fledging, and the colony could lose anywhere around a quarter of those eggs laid.

But when you add that 10%, “it becomes significant”.

Meanwhile the department’s compliance people approached contacts in New Zealand and overseas about the possible trade in albatross eggs, but “came back with nothing”.

Security at the centre would be enhanced following the incident, she said.

It feels like a bizarre few weeks across the city, what with the egg stealing and catnapping headlines.

On Tuesday I was at the sentencing of the man who robbed a Mosgiel dairy, leaving the owner with a fractured skull and who has now left the city after selling his business for half price.

A day earlier, a pre-teen was charged with attempted murder.

I guess we need some good news. So here we go.

This morning I approached Cookie Time about this selection of posters which have appeared on a boarded-up shop wall on George St.

They couldn’t reply before the deadline, but yes, a store is coming. You heard it here first.

And here is a great watch: The latest video from The Columbs, who know how to market a property.

I’ve overwhelmed to hear that one of my favourite American bands, Pavement, is touring New Zealand early next year, albeit in Wellington and Auckland only.

Here is a 1993 clip (Robert Rakete!) of them in Dunedin where they name check Dunedin’s own, The Clean, as one of the greatest bands in the world.

“We are very in awe of the place,” guitarist Spiral Stairs says while sitting on the steps of St Joseph’s Cathedral, before it cuts to the band walking down the Dunedin Railway Station.

But I particularly love the quote from Chris Knox saying: “I think they’d love to be New Zealanders.”

On Sunday I went to the Q&A of David Farrier’s excellent doco, Mr Organ.

It is not an easy watch, but it is equal parts funny and disturbing.

Recommended.

This week I’m heading to Avantdale Bowling Club on Friday, and will also check out some of the work at Otago Polytechnic as part of their Student Showcase 2022.

If you want something different to do next week to celebrate World Toilet Day, pencil this in your diary.

Get into it.

And here is my Tweet of the Week: