5 Rehabilitated Turtles Take Flight to Their Forever Home in the Indian Ocean

Photo Credit: SAAMBR via Facebook

It took a village and a whole lot of love to rescue, rehabilitate and transport five rehabilitated turtles from Cape Town to their new ocean home along the KZN coast.

Durban, South Africa (19 June 2026) – Through shared passion, care and true collaboration, five very special passengers recently travelled from Cape Town to Durban, all in an effort to be successfully released into the warm Indian Ocean!

Five rehabilitated turtles: Bayleaf, Bubbles, Mojo Jojo, Peppa and Pimento were treated like the VIPs they are, from the moment they were rescued by the turtle team at the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation between Wilderness and False Bay, throughout their rehabilitation journeys, during their flight to SAAMBR, and finally, during their return to the ocean.

Of the bigger guys in the crew, Bubbles, a loggerhead turtle, weighed a mere 60 grams when she was found stranded in Struisbaai in 2024. By the time she was ready for release, she was a strong 7.7 kg. Bayleaf, a green turtle, weighed an impressive 13.2 kg before release and is hopefully already enjoying the beautiful algal beds along the KZN coastline.

The SAAMBR team, which safely returned the gentle giants to their ocean home, said the collaboration with the Two Oceans Aquarium team demonstrated that South Africa’s sea turtle conservation community continues to grow.

“We are very grateful to the members of the public who find stranded turtles and take action. Without those first phone calls, turtle lifts, and real concern, we would not be able to give these ocean travellers the care they need or the chance to return home to the sea.”

The SAAMBR thanks everyone who helped rescue, rehabilitate, transport and release these special turtles.

Go well, Bayleaf, Bubbles, Mojo Jojo, Peppa and Pimento!