Yoshi Turtle
Photo Credit: Two Oceans Aquarium

Yoshi the Loggerhead Turtle loves swimming up to visitors at the Two Oceans Aquarium to say hi. She will finally be released into the wild where she belongs.

 

The Two Oceans Aquarium has confirmed that they plan to release Yoshi, the loggerhead turtle, back into the wild this coming December. Yoshi has been a resident in the I&J for years and loves swimming up to the glass to get a look at all the visitors.

She was rescued from a boat in Table Bay Harbour by local authorities in 1996. She had been caught in a trawler’s fishing net. The aquarium guessed that she was about 3-5 years old at the time and about the size of a dinner plate. Now at nearly 26 years old, it is time for her to return to her natural habitat.

We’ve all grown extremely attached to her, but all signs are there that it is time to return her to the wild. Nothing will make us happier than to see this beloved animal thrive in the open ocean, even though the farewell will be bittersweet.

Two Oceans has been making her exercise during her feeding times by doing laps between two feeding points. They also plan to fit her with a tracker that will last around three years. They explained why it was time for her to be released on their blog. Here is a small extract with the main reason as to why.

She is within the sexual maturity range now – which is between 18 and 30 years for loggerhead turtles – and we have observed her scratching at the sand in the I&J Ocean Exhibit, possibly mimicking nest-digging behaviour that one might see in the wild. Loggerhead turtles live for between 80 and 100 years, and being confident that Yoshi is fit and healthy, there is no reason for us to keep her with us any longer.

We are excited to hear that Yoshi is being released and look forward to the world being blessed with lots of little Yoshi babies. Experts are very confident that she will easily adapt to life in the wild.

“I cannot wait to see where Yoshi goes! She is ready to cross oceans. We will follow her every move as long as we get satellite transmission (hopefully for a few years), and yes, the NSRI is on standby should she need any assistance.” – Maryke Musson, Two Oceans Aquarium Curator 

The aquarium is calling on all Yoshi fans to send in their memories and moments with her. They plan to build a page dedicated to her on the blog as well as an exhibit dedicated to her in the aquarium. You can email your stories and pictures through to them here.


Sources: Two Oceans Aquarium
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About the Author

Tyler Leigh Vivier is a writer for Good Things Guy.

Her passion is to spread good news across South Africa with a big focus on environmental issues, animal welfare and social upliftment. Outside of Good Things Guy, she is an avid reader and lover of tea.

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