The Rescue, Rehabilitation, and Release Program aims to rescue, care for, and ultimately, safely release all of the rescued sea turtles back into the ocean. 

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Nearly all species of sea turtle are now classified as endangered, with three of the seven existing species being critically endangered. They are killed for their eggs, meat, skin and shells. They also face habitat destruction and climate change has an impact on turtle nesting sites. 

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Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) sea turtles nest along the northern Kwa-Zulu Natal coast in summer, during which thousands of turtle hatchlings enter the warm and fast-flowing Agulhas current. Some of these hatchlings wash up onto Western Cape shores, usually compromised and quite weak, dehydrated, hyperthermic, and often full of barnacles, and severely affected by the intake of plastic and other pollutants. 

 

Part of the rescue, rehabilitation and release program is turtle tagging. The turtle tagging project allows us to attach some satellite and/or acoustic sensor tracking devices to the turtles so that we can monitor all their movements around the ocean to learn about their behaviour, habits and travels.

 

Oceans Alive Conservation Trust will be sponsoring these devices this year, 2023 for scientific research purposes. With your support by donating to this cause we can monitor more turtles and share their journey with you.

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Every turtle rescued and released back into the ocean is in support of the survival of their species. The odds of a hatchling surviving to reproductive adulthood are roughly one in a 1,000. 

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With your help, 'stronger together', we will be able to improve the odds and help to rescue, rehabilitate and release many more turtles and ensure that our children and grandchildren will still get to witness these incredible animals nesting on our beaches and thriving in our oceans.