the West Coast whale fossil and the ethics of private collecting
- Written by Nic Rawlence, Senior Lecturer in Ancient DNA, University of Otago

The past can inform the present in more ways than one.
Take the case of the 23-million-year-old whale fossil recently excavated by a private collector on the West Coast of the South Island. It has angered Karamea locals and Ngāti Waewae, who viewed the fossil as a treasured local attraction, and has led to a police investigation.
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