You can now adopt and name your very own turtle hatchling thanks to the Two Oceans Aquarium’s fundraising plan to support their rescues.
Cape Town, South Africa (22 April 2021) – Turtle stranding season is in full swing at the moment, and the Two Oceans Aquarium are taking in all strandings being found along the Western Cape coastline.
So many of these hatchlings wash up on the Western Cape coastlines because when they are born on the Northern beaches in KwaZulu-Natal, they make their way into the ocean and towards the warm Agulhas current.
If a hatchling is lucky, it will be carried by the Agulhas Current as it turns east off the coast of the Western Cape and out into the warm Indian Ocean. Unfortunately, this isn’t easy for the little hatchlings, and many of them are ejected from the Agulhas Current into the cold water of the Atlantic. This water is too cold for these hatchlings to survive. They get gradually weaker and weaker as they try to return to the Agulhas – an effort that is made increasingly difficult in bad weather or if the turtle has been harmed by ingesting plastic pollution.
These weakened hatchlings inevitably wash up on the Western Cape’s coast, and without human intervention, they have no chance of surviving. We have a responsibility to help these animals.
This year the Aquarium welcomes the public to join the rehabilitation journey of these hatchlings by allowing adoptions. The adoptions will help the team cover the costs related to rehabilitating and releasing each little hatchling.
“Through our ‘Adopt-a-Hatchling’ programme, you have the opportunity to donate money towards the recovery and rehabilitation of this endangered species. The little hatchlings that arrive at our facility will spend around 9 months with us, during which they usually increase in size tenfold. Once the conditions are right, we take them by boat to warmer waters off Cape Point, and release them back into their proper home.”
If you would like to adopt a hatchling, you can find out more here. Each hatchling costs between R5000 and R8000 to rehabilitate; your adoption fee will help cover this cost.
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Lastly, the team finds that many of the hatchlings are washing up in Struisbaai and have asked the public for help. Take a look below and reach out if you can assist.
Morning all, we are seeing a lot of turtle hatchlings washing up in #Struisbaai that need to be transported to Cape Town for rehabilitation. If you make that drive regularly and would like to be available to assist the Turtle Rescue Network, please DM us your contact info. 🐢 pic.twitter.com/fOxQxDOnVo
— Two Oceans Aquarium (@2OceansAquarium) April 22, 2021
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