Ailing turtle now in the care of Bayworld
Sea creature transported to PE after social media appeal
CONCERN for an ailing sea turtle – which has been nicknamed Toughey – has seen an outpouring of assistance from across the Eastern Cape to help restore its health. The loggerhead sea turtle – an endangered species – may not be as agile as other creatures at the Bayworld complex where it arrived yesterday, but at 70kg, Toughey makes up for it with imposing size.
The turtle was found stranded at Chintsa West, east of East London, on December 13 and was transported to the East London Aquarium the following day.
On Monday, a curator at Bayworld in Port Elizabeth, Ruth Wright, received a call informing her the large turtle was in serious need of medical help and that Bayworld would be in a better position to look after its health due to the complex’s facilities.
So Toughey was yesterday transported in a bakkie from East London to Bayworld for rehabilitation.
This was thanks to Hlumisa Engineering which responded to the East London Aquarium’s social media appeal for a lift for the turtle, which needs an X-ray and further care.
A young girl had found the loggerhead upside-down in the rock pools near the village’s tidal pool. Various attempts to refloat it were unsuccessful and, after a night vigil on the beach, it was transported to the aquarium.
Buffalo City Municipality’s chief of marine services, Siani Tinley, said although the turtle was treated with antibiotics and eye ointment and received fluids and glucose for a number of days, it had not fared as well as aquarium staff would have liked.
“He was in a freshwater bath for a few days and put in an outside pool to allow him to swim and get the weight off his carapace.
“Last week, we tried to tube him food but he kept regurgitating it.”
Tinley said that with advice from uShaka Marine World in KwaZuluNatal, the turtle was treated for general conditions and for a buoyancy problem which prevents him from diving, restricting him to swimming on the surface. This could be caused by a blockage either from disease or from swallowing plastic.
“Bayworld will be able to X-ray him, and has a vet who can assist with further diagnosis. Due to his size and weight we were not able to get him to an X-ray facility in East London.”
Tinley said there had been a good response to the social media call to drive Toughey to Port Elizabeth in a canopy-covered bakkie and keep him wet during the journey.
“We thank all those who so willingly offered lifts and concern for Toughey.”
Wright said while they often received sea turtles at the Bayworld complex, Toughey was a big customer and was estimated to be between 20 and 30 years old.
They suspect Toughey is a male due to the length of his tail as females normally have short tails.
Since his arrival, Toughey has not eaten anything and appears to be frail. The loggerhead has been placed in a separate tank of water and its condition is being monitored by staff.
“At the moment we do not know what is wrong with him but he will be seeing a vet on Friday [tomorrow],” Wright said.
“We have a good relationship with local vets who visit the oceanarium once a week. We do not keep [animals] very long here. Once they are in better health, we quickly release them back to the ocean.”
According to Wright, statistics revealed that an adult turtle could weigh between 70kg and 170kg, with a length of between 80cm and 110cm.
Scientists think loggerheads could live up to 50 years or more.