My Miraculous Morning Rescuing a Leatherback Turtle Hatchling
ST LUCIA, KWAZULU-NATAL – On Tuesday I rescued a leatherback turtle hatchling! First one I’ve ever seen – and in broad daylight at St Lucia’s Estuary beach in South Africa… writes DEBBIE MARSHALL COOPER. We received a call Tuesday morning that the turtles were seen on the beach, so I shot off – but was already too […]
ST LUCIA, KWAZULU-NATAL – On Tuesday I rescued a leatherback turtle hatchling! First one I’ve ever seen – and in broad daylight at St Lucia’s Estuary beach in South Africa… writes DEBBIE MARSHALL COOPER.
We received a call Tuesday morning that the turtles were seen on the beach, so I shot off – but was already too late to see anything but loads of confused-looking tracks…
(including those of one hippo).
Up into the dunes we searched. Too late to see the turtles. Or so I thought…
One of the guys spotted this little turtle trapped in vegetation on the edge of the estuary, miles from the ocean in the boiling hot sun.
We thought he was dead – but when I put him on my palm I felt a weak movement, so off I charged across the beach and into the sea…
As we got closer and he sensed the ocean, his head came up…
and he started flapping his flippers…
Then as I put him on the edge of the waves…
he was OFF, swimming strong and free.
What an experience… truly MADE MY DAY.
***
Photos and story © Debbie Marshall Cooper. This story first appeared on Parks and Wildlife – Zululand’s (PAWZ) Facebook page; and is republished with kind permission of Debbie M. Cooper and PAWZ.
Leatherback Turtles Info
Leatherback are the largest turtles on the planet – they grow up to two metres long, and can weigh over 900 kg. According to National Geographic, their roots trace back to more than 100 million years ago. They were around when T-Rex was alive! The leatherback population is rapidly declining in many parts of the world. Sadly, almost all species of sea turtle are classified as Endangered.