Baby turtles in trouble

PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Plett conservationists are pleading with beachgoers to be on the lookout for tiny sea turtles on beaches as rough sea conditions kicked off a turtle hatchling stranding season.

The little marine creatures have already started showing up along the town's beaches and further afield over the past week.

Every year, between March and May, large numbers of mostly loggerhead turtles, an endangered species, wash up on beaches along the South African coast, including the Southern Cape.

The turtles are hatchlings from the nearest breeding area, KwaZulu-Natal, that had been caught in strong currents.

They usually swim into the warm Agulhas currents and drift southwards, but often a strong south-easterly wind and rough sea conditions force them into colder Cape waters.

They end up beaching along the coastline stunned by the cold, dehydrated and injured.

Those that beach along the Plettenberg Bay and Knysna coast usually end up at the Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation and Awareness Centre where they are nursed back to health and then transported to the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town for further rehabilitation and eventual release back into the wild.

The aquarium has over the years esta-blished a turtle rescue network to deal with the stranded turtles.

Aquarium spokesperson Renée Leeuwner said the aquarium rehabilitates the turtles in preparation for their release back into the warm ocean.

Stranded hatchlings should be taken to the nearest turtle network point for rehabilitation.

The hatchlings range from 20g to 80g. Rehabilitation can last more than a year, depending on the needs of individual hatchlings, as some are not only suffering from hypothermia but are also injured and require treatment.

The hatchlings are ideally released in early summer when the Cape's waters are warmer.

The south-easter also brings the retroflecting Agulhas current closer to the shore, making the release easier, and giving the hatchlings the best chance of being carried back into the currents that they rely on in their early years.

The aquarium has also released information for beachgoers to guide people who come across a stranded turtle hatchling in following the right steps.

Firstly, one should not put the turtle back into the water, but find out where the nearest turtle network point is. The next step is to transport the turtle to the network point in a tub or box with a dry towel as soon as possible, keeping it out of direct sunlight and wind.