AFTER facilitating the release of 10 rehabilitated leopard tortoises last week, The Bateleurs wasted no time in jumping back into action to transport Bob, an adult green sea turtle from Cape Town (CT) to Durban where he would be one step closer to freedom.
What would have been approximately a 17-hour drive (depending on traffic and road conditions) was reduced to a three-hour flight.
Caxton Local Media was waiting at the Virginia Airport to meet Bob as he arrived on Monday, January 23.
ALSO READ: VIDEO: KZN conservationists, pilots help release rehabilitated tortoises
However, he only made his official splash to freedom on the following Friday at a private beach near the Hlimbitwa River mouth, north of Durban.
It had been a long road to recovery for this endangered creature, and thus, there was a mix of emotions as the individuals who had been involved in various stages of his journey watched him disappear into the waves.
According to Heather Wares, the communications manager at Two Oceans Aquarium in CT – where Bob had been taken after he was rescued – Bob needed a bit of a nudge after he had been placed onto the sand.
“But his instincts soon engaged, and he made swimming motions, pulling himself into the surf. Everyone on the beach held their breaths as he explored the shallows before quickly finding the rip into deeper water and swimming off,” she added.
Prior to his release, Bob had received a final exam and was fed and fitted with three kinds of tags – a GPS satellite tag, an acoustic tag and flipper tags on both front flippers – which would allow conservationists to track his movements.
Eight years ago, however, Bob had been at death’s door. He was found washed up on a beach in the De Hoop Nature Reserve weighing a mere 16kgs, as per the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation.
In addition to being emaciated, he had been severely injured – this included bruising, fractures and even exposed bone. He had also suffered brain damage and ingested several pieces of plastic.
“Bob slowly recovered from his physical wounds, and he had initially been deemed ‘unreleasable’,” added Wares.
Hope for Bob’s potential release was sparked in 2020, when Alexandra Panagiotou, who is an environmental enrichment specialist, joined the team.
“Unfortunately, the brain damage affected Bob’s natural behaviours,” explained Panagiotou, which meant that it was unlikely that he would survive in the wild.
“However, she designed a ‘Bob-specific environmental enrichment programme’, which over the course of two years, slowly saw Bob begin to express natural green turtle behaviours,” said Wares.
“Bob’s regular behavioural assessments and neurological examinations increasingly showed healthy neurological responses, resulting in a decision in 2022 to release him,” she added.
Following Bob’s arrival in Durban, Panagiotou, who had joined him on his flight, said while there was the obvious excitement, she also felt a mixture of stress and grief.
“He has been a part of my life for the past two years. We had done a lot of work together, and he has become like my baby,” she said.
“During his rehabilitation, Bob had become a sort of celebrity and ambassador for his species and marine life as a whole,” she added.
He particularly raised awareness surrounding the danger plastics posed to the environment.
“Unfortunately, most turtles that we rescue these days pass plastic. We hope that his story will continue to encourage people to use less plastic and ultimately lead to policy changes,” she said.
Bob was temporarily placed into the care of the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (Saambr) at uShaka Marine World where he was monitored for three days in a new environment.
“His adaptability and curiosity in a new environment was his final test to ensure that he had neurologically recovered and was fit for release,” explained Malina Pather of Saambr.
“We are looking for exploratory swimming, diving, feeding and any focused behaviour, such as scratching or tracking of other species,” added Panagiotou.
“It took months of planning to prepare for Bob, however, it is so rewarding when all the hard work bears fruit. It’s simply wunderbar!” said Steve McCurrach, a director of The Bateleurs.
For more from the Highway Mail, follow us on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
