Rare turtle flown to Cape Town

The turtle is suspected to have been bitten by another marine creature.

Sedgefield residents discovered an endangered green sea turtle recently and took it to the Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation and Awareness Centre in Plettenberg Bay where it was nursed back to health before it was flown on a CemAir flight to Cape Town. The turtle is currently being rehabilitated by the Two Oceans Aquarium. Photos: Supplied

A flight from Plettenberg Bay to Cape Town had a very unlikely passenger – an endangered turtle that was saved from the brink of death, Knysna Plett Herald reports.

Marketing manager at Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation and Awareness Centre in Plett Amelia Havemann said vigilant members of the Sedgefield Animal Matters group discovered a juvenile green sea turtle washed up on the beach in Sedgefield.

“The turtle was on its back, and they at first believed it was dead. When they flipped the turtle over, they realised it wasn’t and brought it to Tenikwa,” Havemann said.

The turtle was dehydrated and suffered from a large wound to one of its flippers.

The turtle

It is not known what caused the injury, but Havemann said it could well be the result of a bite from another marine creature.

“We were, however, able to stabilise the turtle and managed to rehydrated it. We nursed him back to such a condition where a flight to the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, for further care, would be possible.”

CemAir agreed to sponsor the turtle’s flight to Cape Town, and the young marine creature boarded the flight.