Turtles celebrated around the world
Turtles were celebrated at uShaka Sea World on International Turtle Day.
INTERNATIONAL Turtle Day was celebrated throughout the world on Monday, 23 May to bring attention to the strife of turtles that inhabit the earth.
Turtles are some of the most ancient reptiles still alive today and have been around for over 200 million years.
All of the five species of turtles found in South African waters are on the endangered species list and threatened by human impact – these include The Leatherback (dermochelyscoriacea), the Loggerhead (carettacaretta), the Green turtle (chelonian mydas), the Hawksbill (eretmochelys imbricate) and the Olive Ridley turtle (lepidochelysolivacea).
According to said Malini Pather, a senior aquarist at uShaka Sea World, some of the threats to turtles include habitat loss and degradation, collection of eggs and meat for consumption, incidental capture in fisheries, climate change and pollution. Litter and the effects of climate change are the biggest man made threats to turtles along the KZN coastline.
Turtles spend most of their lives at sea with only the females leaving the ocean to nest on sandy beaches. In South Africa the Leatherback and the Loggerhead turtles are the only species to nest on our shores. As with crocodiles, the temperature of the eggs dictates the sex of the hatchlings.
Pather said it is important for humans to know how their actions affect the environment. Negligent waste and products that are littered, find their way to the ocean and turtles are particularly susceptible to this ocean pollution and often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish. When turtles ingest plastic, they can suffer intestinal blockage resulting in malnutrition, reduced growth rates and even death. Besides the threat of ingestion, plastic and other materials which find their way into the ocean cause a risk to marine animals becoming entangles in the debris. This could cause drag when swimming and death from drowning or starvation.
“Next time you are preparing to head down to the ocean or a river, pause for a moment and pack a refuse bag or two with your swimming gear. Every piece of refuse you collect will help save a turtle’s life,” said Pather.
