Turtle power! Photo courtesy of J Weeks

Today is World Turtle Day. According to Wikipedia, World Turtle Day was started by the American Tortoise Rescue to raise awareness and encourage respect and protection of tortoises and turtles.

Sea turtles are among my favourite marine animals. Several years ago I had the privilege of witnessing a female loggerhead turtle laying her eggs on a beach in southern Mozambique. Sitting quietly beside this huge creature on a moonlit night with just the sound of the waves around us was one of the most humbling experiences of my life.

The turtle was seemingly oblivious of the humans in awe around her as she completed her ancient nesting ritual and headed cumbersomely back to the ocean, leaving behind a hundred or so eggs that would hopefully hatch in 55 to 60 days.

Only one in 1 000 turtle hatchlings will survive to adulthood, and all seven species of sea turtles are threatened with extinction. This is the reason why the Aquarium strives to rehabilitate and release stranded juvenile turtles that are brought to us by members of the public. Having washed up on our beaches cold and dehydrated, the turtles are given yet another chance of survival by the dedicated team of aquarists that nurses them back to health. Seeing these little guys returning to the ocean is a heart-warming moment.

Conservation efforts

South Africa is one of the forerunners in turtle protection and conservation. The first law prohibiting the killing of turtles was issued in KwaZulu-Natal in 1916, while further laws were instituted in 1947. But it was only in 1963 that the then-Natal Parks Board (now known as Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife) began a concerted turtle protection programme.

Most nesting areas along South Africa’s north-east coast have been declared protected areas or marine reserves. These include the St Lucia Marine Reserve and the Maputaland Marine Reserve.

Other turtle conservation initiatives around the world include Dr Supraja Dharini’s Tree Foundation, which has rescued hundreds of thousands of turtles, and Grupo Tortuguero, a network of hundreds of volunteers (many of whom are ex-poachers) who work towards turtle protection. uShaka Marine World in Durban also focuses efforts on turtle conservation, and shared the incredible story of a convicted turtle poacher, Makotikoti Zikhali, who spent hours at uShaka learning about endangered loggerhead turtles.

Facing turtle conservation issues head-on. Photo courtesy of daryl glass

Turtle facts

These turtle facts never cease to amaze me:

• Sea turtles are living dinosaurs, having survived some 100-million years from the Age of the Reptiles
• Female turtles tend to return to the same beach every season to lay their eggs. It seems that each beach has its own scent and females use this scent to orient themselves
• The sex of the hatchlings is determined by the temperature of the clutch during the first three to four weeks of incubation. If the clutch is between 20 and 24°C, the hatchlings will most likely all be males. If the clutch is laid at temperatures of 29°C and higher, the hatchlings will be predominantly females
• Leatherback turtles can measure up to 2,5 m in length and weigh up to a staggering one tonne. This is remarkable since these animals feed almost exclusively on jellyfish

Help protect and conserve turtles

What to do if you find a turtle washed up on one of the beaches around the Cape Peninsula:

1. Place the turtle in suitably sized container that allows the turtle to breathe freely
2. At no stage should the turtle be placed in water as it could drown
3. Keep the turtle at room temperature and out of the sun
4. Take note of where and when the turtle was found
5. Contact the Two Oceans Aquarium on + 27 (0)21 418 3823
6. Bring the turtle to the Aquarium as soon as possible

Yoshi does her super-turtle pose. Photo courtesy of Day Is Coming

Other things you can do to help protect and conserve turtles:

• Say no to single-use plastic bags – turtles often mistake plastic bags for food and ingest the bag. It then blocks their stomachs and they starve to death
• Choose only green-listed seafood on the SASSI list, or seafood products that carry the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) eco-label
• Obey the law and keep your vehicle off the beach
• Avoid plastic drinking straws – these items find their way into the ocean and kill many marine animals, including turtles
• Join a guided turtle tour if you are visiting northern KwaZulu-Natal (iSimangaliso Wetland Park) or southern Mozambique. The funds raised by some tours support further turtle research and conservation
• Volunteer to assist with turtle monitoring and research

Celebrate World Turtle Day

To celebrate World Turtle Day, why not come to the Two Oceans Aquarium and pay a visit to Yoshi, our loggerhead turtle in the I&J Predator Exhibit? Or if you are in Durban, visit uShaka Marine World and pay tribute to Wasabi and her friends in the Turtle Lagoon exhibit.

If you live away from the coast, visit a facility that houses tortoises and/or terrapins and learn as much as you can about these ancient creatures. Contemplate the fact that tortoises and turtles have existed on Earth for millions of years. With our help, they will continue to share the planet with us for years to come, playing their role in the complex web of life.

Stay in touch: for daily Aquarium updates, follow us on Twitter (@2OceansAquarium) and become a fan on Facebook.

Turtles released back into the wild in 2010. Photo by Camilla Floros

See also: 52 Sea Turtles Converge on Florida Sand and Swim Free