The ocean may have been tough on this little shelled soul, but thanks to a vigilant beachgoer, his story is far from over.
Durban, South Africa (10 March 2026) – Sunday afternoon brought a tiny surprise for the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) team. A member of the public spotted a lone sea turtle hatchling on the shoreline between Sheffield and Salt Rock on the KZN North Coast.
“The baby loggerhead turtle measured just 5.8 cm across, and the images sent by his kind rescuer were heartbreaking,” the organisation said.
The thick layer of goose barnacles clinging to its shell told a story of a long and difficult struggle at sea.
The SAAMBR Turtle Rehabilitation Team was on standby at uShaka Sea World to receive the baby turtle after he was handed to staff at Flag Animal Farm near Ballito, who kindly assisted with getting him safely transported through to Durban.
“Thankfully, the hatchling did not appear to have suffered any obvious physical injuries. However, he was extremely lethargic and clearly exhausted, which is often the case with stranded hatchlings.”
Weighing a mere 35 grams (10 grams of which were made up of goose barnacles attached to his shell), the little traveller was examined by SAAMBR veterinarian, Dr Francois Lampen, who administered glucose and fluids, and then gave him a short freshwater dip before allowing him to rest.
The team shared that while the goose barnacles are not parasites, they are filter-feeding crustaceans which are usually only able to settle when an animal is moving very slowly or drifting at the surface for extended periods.
Yesterday, the turtle team gave him another freshwater soak to help loosen and remove the unwanted hitchhikers.
“For such a tiny hatchling to accumulate so many barnacles suggests that this little turtle likely spent quite some time struggling or drifting before washing ashore. The size of these barnacles suggests that this tiny turtle had likely been struggling for at least several days, and quite possibly a week or close to 2, before washing ashore.”
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Sources: South African Association for Marine Biological Research
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