The uShaka Sea World Turtle Rehabilitation staff rescued a pregnant adult loggerhead turtle, which had suffered multiple head injuries and needed medical attention. Staff of iSimangaliso Wetland Park made the three-hour journey from Bhanga Nek to uShaka Sea World to get the turtle help last week. She is now on the mend and is due to lay her eggs soon.
uShaka Sea World clinical veterinarian Dr Caryl Knox said apart from her injuries the turtle appeared to be in good condition and the decision was made to perform immediate diagnostics to ascertain the severity of her injuries.
“Tests included the collection of bloods, radiographs and an ultrasound. Her radiographs showed multiple fractures of her cranium, but thankfully, no vital organs were affected. She was given antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, wound care and a name. On the ultrasound we could clearly see that she had many clutches of eggs which she needs to lay this summer. We called her Delena as it was the closest we could come to a female version of the name of her initial rescuer, Dylan van Deventer,” said Dr Knox.
Most remarkable is that Delena has tags on both of her front flippers and a notch on her carapace which was made within a few hours of her hatching on the beach at Banga Nek approximately 50 years ago, added Dr Knox.
Banga Nek is located within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park just north of Sodwana Bay on the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) North Coast.
Dr Knox said they are currently researching information about Delena’s particular notch and tags which will give them accurate information about her age and nesting habits. South Africa’s Sea turtle monitoring programme which was initiated in 1963, is one of the longest sea turtle monitoring programme’s in the world.
“In spite of her injuries, Delena has shown enormous strength, resilience and determination from day one. She is making good progress and is able to swim strongly around her recovery pool. We will continue to offer her supportive care to ensure the fracture sites start healing as quickly as possible to avoid infection. We are planning to release her soon so that she can lay her eggs on the same beach where she hatched all those years ago. We will share information from our research into her tags and notch within the next few days,” said Dr Knox.
