The Two Oceans Aquarium Education Foundation are rallying the community to get donations to prepare for stranded hatchling season.
Cape Town, South Africa (21 January 2021) – The Two Oceans Aquarium Education Foundation are getting their rehab facilities ready as hatchling season is just around the corner. They are appealing for public assistance to get the facility stocked with everything they will need to save the tiny little turtle hatchlings.
If you happen to find a hatchling, in May of 2019, we shared a very helpful post about what to do if you find a stranded turtle hatchling which you can read here.
The reason so many of these hatchlings wash up on the Western Cape coastlines is that 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 and 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.
It is these weakened hatchlings that 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.
The hatchlings that wash up in the Western Cape are all taken to the Two Oceans Aquarium. Once they have been rehabilitated and are healthy enough, they are released back into the ocean.
The foundation is getting ready for the hatchlings that need rehabilitation by stocking their facility with all the items needed to do the job efficiently and effectively. They need your help to stock up on these items. Take a look below.
“Are you back-to-rehab ready? Did you know that YOU can help get a turtle ready for its rehab?
With hatchling season fast approaching we have listed a few easy ways you can help our turtle through donating any of the items listed below:
🧽 Hygiene:
Sponges, scourers, scrubbing brushes
🫑 Veggies ( for Bob from your garden ):
Broccoli, beans, peas, baby marrows, cucumber, cabbage, spinach, kale, carrots, peppers ( any colours he’s not too picky )
⛑ First aid:
Eco-friendly earbuds, medical cotton swabs, forceps / tweezers, liquid paraffin
🖊 Stationery:
Colour paper ( A4 ), pens, markers, scissors
⭐️ Bonus: ( would be a real treat! )
Silicone moulds ( for freezing tasty enrichment food items ), reusable cable ties, submersible fish tank water heaters
Drop off point with our friendly Visitor Services team at the @2oceansaquarium front desk between 9am – 6pm ⏰ Any items you are willing to donate we would love to receive within the month of 20 January – 20 February 2021 please 😁👍🏽
Please label any donations with ‘turtle rehab’ & a friendly reminder to keep it turtle-friendly with no single-use plastic bags please 🙌🏾♻️”
View this post on Instagram