Durban — Seven weeks later and green turtle Jacques is on his way to a full recovery.
That is according to the South African Association for Marine Biological Research’s (Saambr) Ann Kunz, who said that after seven weeks of recuperating in the Saambr Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital, Jacques is now well on his way to a full recovery.
Kunz said that when they initially shared the green turtle’s story after its arrival, Jacques was so lethargic that he could hardly lift his head or keep his eyes open and needed to be placed in a shallow heated pool for several days after he was admitted.
Jacques was also positively buoyant which meant that he was unable to dive below the surface of the water.
“The staff are loving and caring for Jacques who, like most green turtles, is quite a charmer and exquisitely beautiful,” Kunz said.
Kunz added that if all goes well, Jacques will be ready for release by the middle of next month.
uShaka Sea World lead aquarist Malini Pather said: “In the past two weeks, we have watched Jacques dive to the bottom of the pool and remain submerged for long periods. This is wonderful progress and means that we can now start preparing him for release.”
In June, Kunz said that after 48 hours of rehab, Jacques, a sick young green turtle opened one of his eyes ever so slightly for the first time since being admitted.
She said that they decided to name him Jacques after the great ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau as they hoped that against the odds he was facing, he would one day be strong enough to continue his great global ocean adventurers.
Jacques was found stranded on the beach at Munster on the lower South Coast on Wednesday afternoon by local visitors. They were quick to alert members of the KZN Stranding Network who, with assistance from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the lower South Coast SPCA, ensured that he was transported in comfort to Saambr’s Turtle Rehabilitation Centre at uShaka Sea World.
When the turtle rehabilitation staff initially assessed Jacques they were very concerned as he was totally motionless and so weak, he was unable to open his eyes.
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