Five rehabilitated turtles have successfully been released into the De Hoop Marine Protected Area (MPA) near Cape Agulhas.

Their release came ahead of World Sea Turtle Day on June 16, and was made possible by the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation’s Turtle Conservation Centre, with the support of the Morukuru Family De Hoop and Morukuru Goodwill Foundation.

The team said there was great anticipation ahead of their release.

Conservation manager at the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation’s Turtle Conservation Centre, Talitha Noble, said: “Learning from our time spent in De Hoop, we selected three turtles for the second release. Two hawksbills (Siriti and Amber) and one green turtle (Coral) were cleared by our vets and matched the guidelines.”

Co-founder of the Morukuru Goodwill Foundation, Anka Zeeman, said: “Morukuru Family is excited to deepen its involvement with turtle and wildlife conservation efforts through a partnership with the Two Oceans Aquarium. By joining forces with this esteemed institution, Morukuru Family aims to make a lasting impact and promote awareness about the plight of sea turtles.”

The team first released two green turtles, Amigo and Zelena, into the De Hoop MPA on May 3.

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Both turtles were rescued off the stretch of coast.

Cape Nature rangers, who have supported the rescue of many turtles, gently lifted Zelena and carried her to the water’s edge.

They said she took a deep breath, made a few strong flipper movements, and swam into the breaking waves.

Amigo was carried down to the water, eager to join Zelena, following her example as he quickly swam under the surface.

The team said their trial release “went incredibly well” and confirmed that the release programme could comfortably continue in the De Hoop MPA.

Source:

Cape Times

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