Rise in sick sea turtles prompts rehabilitation Forum
When it comes to the health of our oceans seas turtles are said to be the 'canaries in the coal mines' and alarmingly there's been a spike in sick animals needing rehabilitation. Coffs Harbour's Dolphin Marine Magic currently has 21 sea turtles in need of care. They include the common green sea turtles and the critically endangered hawksbill turtles.With the Coffs Harbour attraction recorded a high success rate of recovery, the turtles will remain in care for around six months before their release back into the wild. The unsually high number of turtle rescues across the NSW coast has prompted National Parks and Wildlife to plan forum with rehabilitation providers including Dolphin Marine Magic, Taronga Zoo, Australian Sea Bird Rescue and Seaworld. "Generally in the summer months we do get a lot more turtles, but this year it has peaked a lot earlier and National Parks and Wildlife are noticing this all along the coast," Dolphin Marine Magic animal care supervisor Jess Eggeling said. "Most are coming through with floating syndrome which is a build-up of gas in the stomach cavities it is actually secondary to a parasitic infection."Floating makes them more suspectible to boat strikes to sunburn and dehydration and it also means they are not feeding as well as they should so they come in in poor health. Plastic, environmental factors run-off pollution are also thought to have factors impacting on sea turtle health.
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Address: 65 Orlando Street, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450, Australiad
Phone: +61 2 6659 1900
Email: [email protected]
Hours: 9:00am - 7pm
Prices: Adult- $31.50 Children (3-15yrs) -$16.65
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