From exotic animal smuggling rings to a hungry opportunist with a penchant for scrambled eggs — many theories over the brazen theft of four albatross eggs at Taiaroa Head have been tossed about.
However, the mystery is destined not to be cracked.
In early November 2022, the brazen theft of four royal albatross eggs from the Taiaroa Head colony on Otago Peninsula left staff and the city perplexed.
Anonymous tips about a possible neighbourhood exotic animal smuggling ring came through, police theories on how the possible thief carried out the crime were brainstormed, shipping records were scrutinised, CCTV was analysed, and a mystery motorbike rider screeching through the area at 1am on the night in question was noted.
However, in 2025, police deemed the case as uncrackable.
Throughout the breeding season, Department of Conservation rangers monitor and assist the birds.
On November 1, 2022, the first egg was laid and nine days later rangers recorded a total of 23 eggs.
However, a day later, rangers found an egg was missing from one of the nests.
Further checks found a total of four eggs missing — leaving behind no sign they had been carried off by predators or had been damaged.
A police and Doc investigation ensued. However, despite the many avenues explored, the case remained cold, a police file released to the Otago Daily Times under an Official Information Act request said.
The file — which noted the theft could also attract significant media interest — laid out a timeline of the investigation, which included theories and anonymous tip-offs.
It was unknown how — or why — the offender accessed the area to take the eggs.
The file said "access could be made from the sea and by climbing up some steep terrain", but that would be very time-consuming and hard.
There was also the chance someone could walk down to Pilots Beach and around the shoreline before scaling the terrain to the nests, but again, that would be very difficult.
"The most feasible and easiest way would be jumping over a large fence on the western side of the centre and walking along a grassy track.
"This would take someone pretty much directly to the nests in question."
On December 9, 2022, the call centre received two anonymous calls in which someone claimed he believed a person was "linked to people selling exotic animals".
The caller name-dropped a local person and gave their address.
The file noted "this address and person has been the subject to neighbourhood disputes in recent times".
"There have been calls ... that appear to be fictitious after police follow-up," the file said.
CCTV in and around the nesting area were looked at from the nearby Penguin Trust, Harbour Control and Albatross Centre.
A soundbite recorded a noise indicating the eggs may have been carried off on a motorbike.
The motorbike was thought to have driven past the area about 1am on November 10, however nothing was seen on the cameras.
Radar data from Harbour Control was requested, which would "put any boats in area at the time if offenders have accessed the area by sea".
Police looked into requesting all data from the cell tower in Port Chalmers, however given the timeframe of the theft was over 15 hours, the amount of data that would involve would be "enormous".
With the closing of the case this year, the mystery may remain uncracked.
The theft is against the Crimes Act, Wildlife Act, and the Reserves Act. The maximum penalty across the breaches of the three Acts is 14 years.
