Durban — A green turtle called Bob that arrived at uShaka Marine World just a few days ago is ready for release to a marine-protected area on the East Coast of South Africa where he can be monitored. The green turtle was transported from the I&J Ocean Exhibit in Cape Town to KwaZulu-Natal so that the Turtle team could determine whether Bob was ready to return to the wild.
Two Oceans Aquarium conservation manager Talitha Noble said Bob went through a traumatic experience.
She said Bob was rescued after he suffered from severe bruising and a possible fracture of the plastron (stomach area) and was experiencing loss of scales, exposed bone, and was also positively buoyant.
Noble said Bob had become a symbol of resilience and strength for many, having overcome major challenges during his eight-year rehabilitation. These included blindness, ingested plastic, systemic infection and remembering wild behaviours despite having permanent brain damage.
Alexandra Panagiotou, a wildlife conservationist, educator and rehabilitator from Two Oceans Aquarium, said they were not sure of Bob’s age but it was between 10 and 14 years. She hailed him for his recovery.
“His behaviour has changed though, and he is ready to go back to the ocean. Before he would love to cuddle and be seen by humans, but now he has that wild animal behaviour. Sometimes he would bite and now he shies away from humans,” she said.
Panagiotou said besides the intense enrichment programme and extended time period that Bob remained in the final rehabilitation stage, there are a few extra steps that the Turtle and vet team have added to Bob’s release procedure in order to best ensure Bob passes all the release criteria.
“One important aspect that is different to the ‘typical’ process is that Bob will be going through a ‘soft release’. A soft release is a technique often included in reintroductions to try and improve success by providing animals with an easier transition to the wild,” explained Panagiotou.
Bob will be satellite-tagged before his release into the marine-protected area.
Daily News