Turtle stranding season here – look out for little critters

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PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Over the past weekend, Plettenberg Bay's Nature's Valley Trust (NVT) assisted and attended the Two Oceans Aquarium's turtle rescue programme when the team visited the town on Saturday 9 March.

The aquarium's environmental outreach educators and turtle rescue programme team has been travelling between coastal communities along the Southern Cape to educate turtle rescuers for the upcoming stranding season. During their visits, the public was invited to meet the conservation team and learn how they can save a turtle, should they come across a stranded one.

Interactive activities
The team also visited schools in an effort to foster a love for the ocean among youngsters through interactive educational activities. The reason for the visits is because March marks the beginning of the "turtle stranding season".

"Thousands of loggerhead and leatherback turtles hatch on the beaches of northern KwaZulu-Natal, and begin their long journey to the sea, eventually to be carried southward in the warm waters of the Agulhas Current. This journey is not easy; every hatchling will face high levels of predation, strong currents and plastic pollution. Stunned by cold, dehydrated and injured, many hatchlings find themselves stranded on the beaches of the Southern Cape," the Two Oceans Aquarium team said.

Rescue network
A similar programme was rolled out last year and as a result the Turtle Rescue Network – a collaboration of coastal organisations working with Southern Cape communities to get rescued sea turtles to the aquarium for emergency care as quickly as possible – was established.

Among the stops were Hermanus, Gansbaai, Witsand, Stilbaai, Wilderness, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay.

The NVT not only attended but also assisted during the visit to Plett.

"Plett was the last network point for the trip and it was a highly successful networking afternoon, attended by many Plett community members, Plett Animal Stranding Network volunteers and also by local conservation organisations and marine scientists. We had a great turnout and everybody learnt a lot. We look forward to further expanding our relationship and liaison with Two Oceans on this matter, together with the Plett Animal Stranding Network and Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation and Awareness Centre," said NVT director Dr Mark Brown.

Important tips
Tenikwa has been involved in dealing with turtle emergencies over several years. Some of their tips, when a stranded turtle is discovered, include that the turtle should be placed in a dry container. It should not be thrown back into the sea as in many cases the animal would be too weak to survive. It is also important to keep the turtle at room temperature to warm it up slowly.

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It is also in many cases advisable to check if the turtle is still alive as often they would appear dead.