A pair of rehabilitated turtles has been released at Mooloolaba Beach, as conservation experts urge the community to help protect marine life.
Green sea turtles Dasher and Blitzen re-entered the ocean on Tuesday morning, with the help of SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast Aquarium, Sunshine Coast Council and the Mooloolaba State School’s Environment Squad.
The turtles were found extremely unwell suffering from “floating syndrome” just before Christmas and they spent the festive season at SEA LIFE.
Dasher was discovered in the shallows of Mooloolaba Spit in early December, weighing 10kg, while Blitzen washed up on Teewah Beach in early November, weighing 7kg.
They were taken to the Mooloolaba aquarium, and nursed back to health, munching on more than 500g of food per day.
According to National Geographic, green sea turtles are one of the world’s largest species of turtle, usually weighing around 65-130kg and measuring between 1-1.2m long.
They have a strong, tear-drop shape shell, called a ‘carapace’, which covers most of their body, except for their head and four flippers. Their carapace can include shades of different colours, including dark brown, green, olive, yellow and black.
They are named for the layer of green fat that lies under their shell. Scientists believe this unusual quirky-coloured fat is the result of their veggie diet – unlike most other sea turtles, the green sea turtle eats marine plants such as seaweed and sea grass.
Meanwhile, it’s almost that time of year, when baby turtles erupt from their nests and trek down our Sunshine Coast beaches.
While the annual Clean Up For The Hatchlings event has been cancelled in its current format, conservation and marine experts urged the community to safely pick up rubbish at a time that suits them during the next week.
Clean Up For The Hatchlings is run each year as a partnership between SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast Aquarium, Sunshine Coast Council, ReefCheck Australia, TurtleCare, UnityWater and Coolum and North Shore Coast Care and it aimed to highlight the importance of keeping our beaches clean and healthy for the local wildlife.
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