Cape Town - Sixty-nine rehabilitated sea turtles were happily swimming in the warm blue waters of the Agulhas current after finally being released back into the ocean after successful rehabilitation at the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation’s sea turtle hospital where they received treatment for plastic ingestion and other illnesses.
The sea turtle rehabilitation team travelled 45 nautical miles south of Hout Bay to find warm waters where the turtles could be released into the Agulhas current, 65 hatchlings, one hawks bill, and three green turtles were released after months of rehabilitation and finally being cleared by the vet.
Two Oceans Aquarium conservation and sustainability manager Helen Lockhart said: “On the morning of December 12, all the turtles were packed into travel crates, transported to Hout Bay harbour and loaded on to two boats.
“The team and crew headed out for roughly 45 nautical miles to encounter the warmer currents. Once these temperate waters were reached, the turtles were released into 19.5°C blue water to the great joy and jubilation of all on board.”
The sea turtles were found stranded across Western Cape beaches. Of the released green turtles, one was found in Arniston, one in De Hoop and one in Paternoster, up on the West Coast, and the hatchlings come from all along the south coast of the province, but Struisbaai was a hot spot.
Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation conservation manager, Talitha Noble said: “All the turtles come in with cold shock from our chilly coastal waters; that's a given. Some common issues that we see include pneumonia, physical injuries that have led to infection, ingestion of plastic and subsequent gut issues. These are some of the issues we see regularly, but each turtle is a new and often different case.”
Some of the released sea turtles were tagged with satellite tags to enable the animals to be tracked, and others with microchips, similar to those used in house pets. Noble said there was so much unknown about turtles and where they spend their time, tagging them allowed researchers to better understand their movements to take action towards better protecting their passageways through the ocean.
“We usually have one big release per year. The number we release varies dramatically depending on how many turtles we have received into rehab and how many are ready to be released. 65 hatchlings is quite a big number though, we have had a successful season and feel super chuffed that so many of the turtles are back in their ocean home,” Noble said
Even after months of rehabilitation, Lockhart said some of the sea turtles were not healthy enough to be released. Several others remain in the rehabilitation programme.
kristin.engel@inl.co.za