Sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation

Six species of sea turtles inhabit Australian waters. The species include Loggerhead, Green, Hawksbill, Olive Ridley, Flatback and Leatherback turtles.

All species are either endangered, threatened or vulnerable. It has been said, that Loggerhead and Hawksbill turtles have around 20 years left to extinction. In 2027, these species may be gone from the planet.

ASR’s turtle hospital is one of only four licensed facilities in New South Wales, and the only facility on the East Coast manned by volunteers. These volunteers have been rescuing turtles from the North Coast of New South Wales since 1998.

Most of the turtles rescued were beach-washed and totally debilitated. In some cases, the turtles had been sick for so long, that they were totally covered in barnacles. Barnacles can cover the turtle to such an extent, that they can disable the flippers and cover the eyes and nostrils to such an extent, that the turtle is unable to swim, see, smell, or even survive.

Over the years, ASR volunteers, in conjunction with many similar overseas organisations, have achieved some good success with rehabilitation of turtles which would have surely died, had they not been rescued.

In the 1970’s, it was relatively rare to see a sea turtle on the North Coast of New South Wales. However, over the years, possibly due to the effects of global warming and the increasing sea temperatures, sea turtle sightings are increasing in the North Coast waters.

sea turtles suffer from many diseases and conditions, but on the North Coast of New South Wales, the most fatal of all threats is ingestion of plastics. Whether it be a tiny hatchling, or a 100 kilogram adult, plastic pieces of all sizes, colours and shapes present an attractive food item – and in most cases - with disastrous consequences.

In one case, 76 pieces of plastic were found in a dead Green turtle – the turtle was only 19 centimetres in length! And yet another turtle still died, even after passing 107 items, including plastic, rope, fishing line – and even part of a clothes peg.

Sea turtles have an amazing ability to survive for long periods, while swallowed human rubbish blocks their intestines. A slow death from starvation, follows.

‘Floating syndrome’ is a name given to a condition in sea turtles, which causes them to float on the surface of the water, and is the most common condition affecting turtles on the North Coast. It is generally recognised a secondary condition, which is the aftermath of another primary condition or disease. There are believed to be many causes, one of which is impaction of the gut caused by blockages, mostly due to ingested plastic or fishing line. A great deal of labour-intensive treatment is required to rehabilitate turtles in this condition, with some turtles spending several months in care.

Boat strikes, bacterial attack, parasitic infection, entanglement in ropes and drowning in trawl nets are just some of the other threats to sea turtles, and while ASR addresses these issues at every opportunity, the threats continue.

The hospital

ASR’s turtle hospital has five pools, all of which are isolated from each other for quarantine purposes. Some turtles may have highly contagious diseases, and strict quarantine is of paramount importance.

Seawater is drawn from a nearby saltwater estuary and treated in a multi-stage filtering process. It is passed through two towers, thefirst of which saturates the water with (friendly) ozone bubbles, and also serves as a protein skimmer, floating off the solids and impurities in the water. From there, the water travels to the second tower containing special filter material, which is colonised by a type of algae. This algae removes harmful nitrites and other impurities from the water.

In the final stage, prior to re-entering the pools, the water passes through a special filter mat. This removes any fine solid material, which may have managed to passed through the previous in-line systems. These towers and filters remove bacteria, algae and toxins, and also kills harmful viruses. The water returning to the pools is as pure as technology allows.

Frequently asked questions

I just found a sea turtle on the beach. It looks dead. How do I tell if it’s still alive?

Sea turtles which wash up on beaches, are often very ill. They will have little movement, if any, other than lifting their head to breathe. Sometimes it may be 30 minutes between breaths. You can touch its eyelid or the back of its neck to see if there is any reaction, but be extremely careful… turtles bite and may do so without warning!

On the North Coast of New South Wales, many stranded sea turtles are covered in barnacles, and/or algae. This is an indicator that they have been sick for a very, very long time. It takes a long time for a turtle to get so sick, and a long time for it to die. It is believed that a sea turtle can survive for many months, without food, but when they reach that stage, they may be virtually comatose.

It is often difficult to tell if in fact, they are still alive. If they are not rotting , bloated, and the skin is still intact, even though there is no response to stimuli, they may still be alive.

If in any doubt, contact your nearest Wildlife Agency or wildlife rescue group, as soon as possible. Time is of the essence in saving turtles in this condition.

I just found a sea turtle on the beach and put it back in the water. It is floating. Will it be ok?

Never put a turtle back in the water. They wash up on beaches because they have a condition, disease or injury. ‘Float’ condition is common on the east coast of Australia, especially with many turtles around 40 centimetres in length. They need to come into care for treatment as quickly as possible. Float condition is eventually fatal for a turtle, and it will likely die if returned to the water.

I found a turtle on a beach. It has feet & walks on land. Should I let it go in the ocean?

No. It is fresh-water turtle, likely washed down a river into the ocean. They have feet, not flippers. If it is not injured, it needs to be returned to a freshwater lake or stream.