PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Despite swift action by locals and conservationists, an uncommon visitor to Plett, an olive ridley turtle, did not pull through after it washed up on Central Beach last week.

The turtle was found by passers-by on the beach last Thursday, 3 November, and the Plett Marine Animal Stranding Network was activated immediately. 

The team rescued the turtle from the beach and handed it over to the Robberg Veterinary Clinic for medical help, before it was transported to the Two Oceans Aquarium. 

The turtle's trip to Cape Town, where an expert team would have done rehabilitation work before releasing it into the wild, was handled by CemAir.

Of the five species of sea turtles recorded in South African waters, the olive ridley is considered the rarest as it is hardly spotted in the area. 

An olive ridley that washed up on Central Beach.

Read more in Thursday's Knysna-Plett Herald.

'We bring you the latest Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route news'