Meet Amber, the Newest 3-Flippered Turtle at the Turtle Conservation Centre

Photo Credit: Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation via Facebook

Found dehydrated, weak and missing her front right flipper on a beach in Betty’s Bay, Amber is now getting all the care she deserves in the trusted hands of the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation’s Turtle Conservation team.

Cape Town, South Africa (12 October 2026) – From September to February, as subadult turtle strandings increase along the Western Cape’s coastline, the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation (TOAF) Turtle Conservation Centre welcomes many new arrivals for rehabilitation.

This period is dubbed the “green season”. Just as the turtle community expects loggerhead hatchlings to wash ashore at specific times of the year, subadult turtles follow a similar pattern. Although mostly green turtles strand during this time (hence the name), on 7 September the TOAF team welcomed a rescued juvenile hawksbill turtle found on a beach in Betty’s Bay – missing her front right flipper!

“After alerting our Turtle Rescue Network, Michelle Watson from Kogelberg Wildlife Sanctuary got Amber safely off the beach and out of the elements. Then, cushioned in the backseat of Sam Marais’ car, the little turtle was transported to the Turtle Conservation Centre that same day,” the Foundation said.

Amber arrived in Cape Town, dehydrated after her long journey. She was received by Turtle Aquarists Siyolise Bezu and turtle veterinarian Dr Bernice van Huyssteen. Dr Bernice was relieved to find that Amber’s amputated right flipper was an old wound and completely healed – something the turtle team considers a testament to the remarkable capacity and resilience of sea turtles.

Together, Siyolise and Dr Bernice inspected Amber’s body condition, noting a few barnacles on her shell and a generally weak demeanour, before taking her measurements. She weighed a solid 7.1kg and her shell measured just under 42cm in length.

Finally, Dr Bernice gave her some intravenous fluids to help her rehydrate and a glucose injection to balance her blood sugar levels before Siyolise placed her in a freshwater bath.

Though she was weak and uninterested in food in the first few days after her rescue, Amber quickly recovered from needing critical care, graduating to a larger holding tank in the main turtle rehabilitation space.

Just three weeks later, she is now diving, eating with gusto, and even participating in target training to prepare her for life back in the wild!

Amber has also found wonderful adopters in Morukuru Goodwill Foundation, who named her for her beautiful colouration.

“As Habanero’s adopters, too, we’re starting to wonder if Morukuru Goodwill Foundation has a soft spot for our three-flippered turtles,” the turtle team teased.

The turtle team is feeling positive that Amber’s journey to a full recovery will be speedy and smooth. As a Critically Endangered hawksbill turtle, every step in Amber’s recovery matters.

“We’re hopeful this little survivor will one day return to the ocean where she belongs and where she can contribute to the health and resilience of marine ecosystems.”