Loggerhead turtle recovers at uShaka Sea World after shark attack
The turtle lost sections from both of its front flippers after a Tiger Shark attack.
A TURTLE was rescued by divers after it was injured in a shark attack.
The adult loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) was admitted to the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (Saambr) at uShaka Sea World on Saturday, January 8.
According to Saambr’s spokesperson, Ann Kunz, the turtle’s front flippers were been bitten by a Tiger Shark, which left one third of the left flipper and two thirds of the right flipper behind.
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“On arrival, the turtle was assessed by the resident veterinarian at Saambr. Thankfully, she (the turtle) was not bleeding heavily and appeared to be in a good condition, other than the injuries to her flippers. She was given pain relief and left to rest in a shallow pool,” said Kunz.
The turtle, which has affectionately been named Jina, has similar injuries to another loggerhead turtle, Keena, which was admitted to uShaka Sea World in December 2020.
Also read: Turtle recovers at SAAMBR after shark attack
“Keena has recovered from her ordeal and, although she will never be able to survive on her own, she is a competent resident in the open ocean exhibit. Over the next few days, the turtle rehabilitation team will continue to watch her (Jina) closely, administer pain medication and leave her to rest and recover from the initial trauma,” said Kunz.
“At this stage, we will be taking each day one step at a time, until her condition appears stable. We certainly hope that she will be victorious and we are doing everything in our power to assist her to recover,” added Saambr’s senior aquarist, Malini Pather.
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