South African Aquarium Overwhelmed After Rescuing 500 Baby Sea Turtles Following Storm

Cape Town, South Africa – The Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town is currently rehabilitating around 400 baby sea turtles after a rare and powerful storm resulted in over 500 of the endangered creatures being washed up on local beaches.

The aquarium, along with two other facilities, is working to manage the unprecedented number of sick and injured loggerhead turtles, many of which are now housed in newly constructed plastic tanks at the Turtle Conservation Center.

Typically, loggerhead turtles hatch on the northeast coast of South Africa and are carried by the warm Indian Ocean Agulhas Current around the tip of South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Town.

However, the recent severe storm has left hundreds of these young turtles stranded far from their natural habitat, prompting an extraordinary rescue effort by members of the public and conservationists.

The Turtle Conservation Center, which normally has the capacity to care for 150 turtles, has been stretched beyond its limits.

“What we haven’t seen before is over 500 turtles in two weeks, which is what the last little bit of time has brought us,” said a spokesperson from the center, highlighting the sudden financial and logistical challenges faced due to the influx.

Each turtle is estimated to cost around $500 to rehabilitate to full strength before they can be released back into the warmer waters of the Indian Ocean in a few months.

The center has mobilized a small army of volunteers to assist the full-time staff in the care of these turtles, which are ranked according to the severity of their conditions, with some requiring intensive care for injuries, malnutrition, or infections.

An unexpected yet critical aspect of the turtles' arrival at the center is the insight it has provided into the pervasive issue of plastic pollution in the oceans. Many of the turtles had ingested small pieces of plastic, which were discovered during their treatment.

“Little bits of soft plastic, little bits of hard plastic are floating all along the oceans and turtles are eating them. So, for us, it’s very important to be collecting and capturing this data,” said Noble-Trull, a conservationist at the center.

This incident not only highlights the direct impact of extreme weather events on wildlife but also underscores the broader environmental challenges facing marine life, particularly the threat posed by plastic pollution in the oceans.

The situation at the Two Oceans Aquarium serves as a poignant reminder of the vulnerabilities of marine ecosystems and the urgent need for conservation efforts to protect these vital species