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the West Coast whale fossil and the ethics of private collecting

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

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.

De...

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