It is the time of the year where the Two Oceans Aquarium’s Turtle Rescue, Rehab and Release Programme is seeing an influx of stranded turtle hatchlings.
These hatchlings are found stranded on beaches around Cape Town and the Western Cape and are brought to the Aquarium by concerned members of the public.
The Two Oceans Aquarium is appealing to all beachgoers to be on the lookout for these hatchlings.
What to do when you find a turtle hatchling on a Cape Town or Western Cape Beach:
- Don’t put it back in the water!
- Contact your nearest Turtle Network Point, like the NSRI (A full list of all the network points can be found here https://www.aquarium.co.za/content/page/two-oceans-aquarium-sea-turtle-rescue-network-south-africa/
- Put the turtle in a dry container, with a soft towel and air holes
- Keep the turtle out of the sun and wind
- Get the turtle to the Aquarium or one of the Network Points as soon as possible
Recently the Aquarium also undertook a road trip to educate the communities along the coast on the turtle strandings and what to do when a turtle is found.https://www.aquarium.co.za/blog/entry/turtle-road-trip-2019-feedback-lessons-western-cape
