UPDATE: Tagged turtle provides unique opportunity to gain a tiny bit of insight into her history

The adult female leatherback turtle that washed up in a decomposed state at the Trafalgar Marine Protected Area on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) had a flipper tag.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife staff attended the scene and upon closer examination discovered the flipper tag.

The KZN Marine Stranding Network said this presented an unique opportunity to gain a tiny bit of insight into her history.

This particular individual was tagged by turtle monitors on the nesting beaches of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park as part of the Ezemvelo Turtle Monitoring Programme.

From the unique tag number, it was determined that she had successfully nested only once on the night of December 11, 2021, about 40km south of the South African/Mozambican border at 21:39.

This was quite possibly the first season she nested as that tagging sequence was the only entry in the turtle tagging database and she bore no indications of any previous tagging attempts.

It is a sad end to a story where this leatherback, which would have emerged as a hatchling on the same beaches some 14 to 20 years ago, made it back to lay at least one nest of eggs that is known of.

The cause of her death could not be established as the carcass was in an advanced state of decomposition.

All is not lost though as this stranding record as well as genetic samples collected will provide more information on the overall population structure and contribute to conservation efforts of this species.

This leatherback is part of the South-West Indian Ocean leatherback sub-population.

Despite having close to 60 years of beach protection and monitoring by Ezemvelo, this sub-population is considered to be critically endangered by the IUCN (2013). This is due to a combination of a small population size (about 70 to 100 nesting females) as well as depressed population recovery.

Offshore pressures (e.g. fisheries bycatch) are a major driver that is suppressing population recovery.

 Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife District Ecologist and newly inducted KZN Stranding Network member Dr Yvette Ehlers-Smith attended the scene and retrieved the tag and genetic sample. She is thanked as well as the rangers who assisted her.