Go 8 April 2021

2 GOT A NEWS STORY? Call our news desk on (043) 702 2125 or (043) 702 2046. Find us on Facebook 8 April 2021 GO & EXPRESS
More tiny turtles
expected to be
stranded in EC
CROSSWORD number 1224
Leatherback turtles nest on SA shores
MADELEINE CHAPUT
An unusual number of
juvenile leatherback
turtles have washed up
between East London and Cape
Town since February.
The most recent was a tiny
leatherback, which is a
protected species, found near
Coffee Bay over the Easter
weekend.
Unfortunately the hatchling,
weighing 200g, did not survive
the night on Saturday.
Leatherback turtles are one
of only two species of turtle that
nest on SA shores.
They are the largest of the
living species of turtle in the
world and can weigh up to
700kg and measure two metres
long when fully grown.
According to the Gqeberha’s
Bayworld oceanarium, turtle
hatchling strandings are
common along the coast
between March and June.
Storms, strong winds and
currents can wash the
hatchlings into colder waters,
where they become what is
termed “cold-stunned”, causing
them to wash up along the
coast.
Ruth Wright, head of the
turtle rehabilitation facility at
Bayworld, said while strandings
were not uncommon, the
number of leatherbacks found
along the coast in 2021 was
perplexing.
“It’s a completely natural
phenomenon that often occurs
because of the spring tides,
winds and storms, but what is
very unusual is the number of
leatherbacks that have washed
u p ,” she said.
Six washed-up hatchlings
had been found since mid-
Fe b r u a r y.
“That doesn’t sound like a
lot, but I’ve been at Bayworld for
seven years and in that time I
think we’ve only ever had six
l e a t h e r b a ck s .
“We usually only get about
one or two leatherbacks and
many more loggerhead turtles,
so this season has been very
u n u s u a l .”
Wright was unsure as to why
STRANDED: A little
leatherback turtle found in
the Mdumbi area near Coffee
Bay at the Easter weekend.
Sadly, it did not survive the
night Picture: SUPPLIED
there was an increase in
strandings, but urged the public
to be on the lookout for more.
Bayworld has recently
successfully rehabilitated an
86g leatherback hatchling that
washed up in Jeffreys Bay at the
beginning of March.
The hatchling, named Lotus,
was released off the coast of East
London after spending three
weeks at the facility.
He was the first leatherback
to be successfully released off
the Eastern Cape coast.
Wright said leatherback
strandings had been reported
along the whole coast in areas
such as Mossel Bay, Plettenberg
Bay and the Wild Coast in 2021.
East London Museum
principal scientist Kevin Cole
said more strandings could be
expected over the next few
months.
“Leatherback turtles nest
along the SA coast in
Maputaland and northern
KwaZulu-Natal between
October and February,” he said.
“Incubation is usually
between 60 to 65 days, so we
can still expect hatchlings to
strand depending on sea
conditions, state of health and
sometimes minor injuries.”
BCM’s acting senior
manager of marine and
zoological services, Siani Tinley,
said leatherbacks were normally
found in warm waters of 20°C
and higher.
“Leatherbacks are found in
warm currents like the Agulhas
c u r r e n t ,” she said.
“We ’re surmising that the
cold currents are stunning them
and they are disorientated and
wash up along the coast. They
have all been very small, about
2 0 0 g .”
She said leatherback turtles
had a very specific diet,
consisting mainly of bluebottles,
making it very difficult to
rehabilitate them or keep them
in captivity.
“It’s always best to get them
strong and release them back
into the ocean as soon as
p o s s i b l e .”
Tinley urged the public to
contact the East London
Aquarium or Bayworld should
they find any stranded
h a t ch l i n g s .
“If you do find one of these
little leatherbacks, temperature
is very important and they don’t
do very well with the cold.
“We advise to put them in a
container with fresh water for
under an hour in case they
d e hy d ra t e .
“But if the water cannot be
kept at a temperature higher
than 20°C then it’s better to put
them on a damp towel so that
they don’t dehydrate.
“The best and first step is
always to contact an aquarium
along the coast.
“All aquariums are
experienced, have good
working relationships and will
be able to help.”
She said contacting an
aquarium was also vital because
leatherbacks were a protected
species and under normal
circumstances the public were
not allowed to be in possession
of the species.
For any turtle strandings,
contact the East London
Aquarium on 043-705-2637 or
Bayworld on 041-584-0650 or
071-724-2122. - DispatchLIVE
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