Turtle Hook
After a careful operation to remove the fishing hook and four months of rehabilitation 'Jonah' the Green Sea Turtle made a full recovery and returned to the open ocean.
Like all animals that are rehabilitated at Taronga Zoo, 'Jonah' was tagged with an ID bracelet so that if he needs human help later on in life there are records indicating what past treatment he has received. The ID tag also aids researchers who monitor our marine life and how far they swim and migration patterns.
Last year the Taronga Wildlife Hospital treated 27 sea turtles, many which had come into contact with human litter causing the animals much pain and suffering. Sadly this situation is quite common in the marine environment, human litter including plastic bags, balloons, ropes and fishing debris are lethal, killing thousands of whales, turtles, penguins and other sea life every year.
Another major issue is helium balloons and plastic bags. It is absolutely tragic when an animal is admitted having digested these items as there is little that can be done. Often the ingestive tract is blocked, irritated or punctured. Major surgery is the only option, however by the time the animals have washed ashore or been bought to the clinic they are usually in such a bad shape that many would not survive the intensive surgery needed to remove the foreign object caught inside them.
We need to be more environmentally aware and particularly vigilant around our waterways. It is vital that we discard our rubbish in a responsible manner as the repercussions for wildlife are enormous and potentially fatal.
Only three species of marine turtles are known to regularly occur in Sydney waters, the Green Turtle, the Loggerhead Turtle and the Leatherback Turtle. There are seven species of marine turtles in the world and six occur in Australian waters. All six species have suffered population declines as a result of pollution, entanglement in fishing nets, plastic bag ingestion, depletion of food stocks, boat-related injuries, loss of shoreline breeding grounds and egg predation by exotic species such as foxes and dogs.
