Two turtles who were caught for sale in a Papua New Guinea market were freed after a kind-hearted man saw them at a local market and promptly bought them.
Arron Culling, a New Zealander working in Papua New Guinea, said he found the turtles at the local market, waiting to be sold for their meat.
He decided to buy them, and simply drove to the nearest beach, approximately five kilometres away, and released the beautiful creatures back into the ocean.
Culling posted photos of the rescue to Facebook, which have so far been shared over 30,000 times on social media.
“Found these at the local market got them for 50 bucks drove 5km up the road and let them go,” he said.
Users around the globe praised him for his timely work which gave these two creatures another chance to live.
“True kiwi heart of gold right there! Turtles like that live to be older than us! Karma will come back to you when you least expect it Uncle Arron and it will be amazing! Amazing job,” said one person.
“What an awesome person,” said another.
Culling’s wife, Gayleen Culling proudly commented, “That’s my hubby” beneath his post.
Conservation groups have also shared Culling's post, praising his actions and encouraging others to protect turtles.
