OCEANS ALIVE CONSERVATION TRUST

 

SEA TURTLE ADOPTIONS

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Oceans Alive Conservation Trust is proud to be part of the Turtle Rescue Network and a major sponsor of the Turtle Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release program at the Two Oceans Aquarium Education Foundation. For  2022 we have sponsored twenty orphan turtle hatchlings, namely Oceans #1 to Oceans #20, for the duration of their rehabilitation and release. We are honoured to be a part of such an amazing and very successful initiative and will continue to support all the Turtle Rescue, Rehabilitation and Rescue programs throughout Southern Africa and globally, towards clean oceans and marine wildlife protection and conservation. 

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In 2023, we look forward to doing much more to help this endangered species. Please see our fundraiaing campaign here. https://www.givengain.com/cc/turtle-rescue-rehabilitation-and-release

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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 behaviours and their habits and travels.

 

Oceans Alive is sponsoring a lot of these devices this year for scientific research purposes.

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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.