An aquarium in Cape Town, South Africa, is facing a significant challenge as it deals with the unexpected arrival of over 500 baby sea turtles following a rare and powerful storm. These tiny turtles, primarily endangered loggerheads, were washed up on beaches by the storm and rescued by members of the public.
Instead of freely roaming the ocean as they should, the baby turtles are currently being housed in plastic tanks at the Turtle Conservation Center at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town. Of the 530 turtles brought in, around 400 are undergoing rehabilitation at the center, while the remainder have been distributed to other aquariums to alleviate the strain.
Typically, baby turtles are left to fend for themselves from the moment they hatch and make their way to the sea. In this instance, the loggerheads, which usually hatch on the northeast coast of South Africa, were likely carried by the warm Indian Ocean Agulhas Current, eventually ending up in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Town.
The recent storm that hit the Cape Town area was a significant factor in the influx of stranded turtles, a situation that the conservation center had not previously encountered. The center usually receives a few to a hundred stranded turtles in the months following hatching season, with a normal capacity of 150 turtles.
Each turtle is estimated to cost $500 to rehabilitate before being released back into the warmer Indian Ocean in a few months. The center has enlisted the help of numerous volunteers to assist the full-time staff in caring for the turtles, who are ranked based on their health status and given identification numbers.
One unexpected discovery during this rescue operation was the prevalence of plastic ingestion among the turtles, likely due to ocean pollution. The turtles had ingested small plastic pieces, highlighting the dangers of plastic pollution in the oceans. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the threats faced by marine life, particularly from plastic waste.
The conservationists emphasize the importance of collecting data on plastic pollution and its impact on marine animals, with turtles serving as crucial indicators of ocean health. The incident underscores the urgent need to address plastic pollution and protect marine ecosystems for the well-being of sea turtles and other marine species.
