Turtles Currently in Care 2020
We currently have four turtles in care at the Whitsunday Turtle Rescue Centre.
Skye – Green Turtle
Skye was found south of Mackay suffering from float and has a spear injury on her carapace. She is one lucky turtle to escape her capture. We have all our flippers and fins crossed with a bit of time and lots of care she will recover from her injury.
Flippy – Green Turtle
This poor juvenile green sea turtle was found floating on her back in Turtle Bay, Whitsunday Island by some cruising yachties. Thanks to them and Cruise Whitsundays she was safety brought into care. Flippy is already eating and with time will hope to lose her floating condition.
Bob – Hawksbill
Bob a beautiful Hawksbill was found in Mackay and was delivered thanks to the Mackay Turtle Watch to the WTRC. Bob is suffering from float, with some time we hope to release Bob as he is already showing good signs with a healthy appetite.
Annette – Green Turtle
Annette was rescued down at Newry Island thanks to Mackay Turtle Watch, this poor juvenile Green is suffering from float and malnutrition. Our turtle team will do our best to help her lose her float and all our flippers and fins are crossed she can be re-released in the coming months.
Turtles Previously in Care in 2020
Cosette – Green Turtle
Cosette was found suffering from float in Mackay and after a few weeks in care she started eating and losing her float. We released Cossette with the Mackay Turtle Watch team and she now is swimming back in her waters off Mackay.
Jack – Green Turtle
This poor turtle was found at Hamilton Island suffering from sever starvation and float. Only after one night in care this very sick turtle passed away. Jack will go to JCU for a future necropsy.
Green Turtle
Found with severe boat strike and this poor turtle sadly died the first night in care, due to the extensive injuries sustained.
Precious – Loggerhead
We had the honor of looking after an incredibly special turtle from Bowen that was entangled in fishing line and became weak and malnourished. Thanks to Tracey from Bstar in Bowen for providing the initial care and then after much love and care at the WTRC she was then taken back to Bstar for a successful release for Precious.
Shelley – Green Turtle
Shelley was found at the North End of Harbour Beach, thanks to Mackay Turtle Watch. She was found extremely week and was delivered into our care. We were surprised she made it through the first night… although only five days later she sadly died due to being so sick.
Connie – Green Turtle
Connie was an adult female green sea turtle found at Midge Point, suffering from float and swimming around in circles. Connie was a very distressed turtle and had fluke on the brain as she had a head tilt and swam in circles even in care, after much care and attention to help her lose her fluke she sadly died one month after being brought into the WTRC.
Quarantina – Green Turtle
We collected Q after Tracey from Bstar in Bowen provided the initial care required for this special juvenile green, Q was needing a few more weeks in care to ensure she was passing squid and had a full bill of health. She was then delivered back to Bstar for release.
Aries – Hawksbill
Thanks to a staff member on Hamilton Island notices Aries, as juvenile Hawksbill was unable to dive, distress and swimming around in circles. She as then rescued and safely delivered to the WTRC for ongoing care. She was not in a good way at all and after a month in care sadly passed away. Aries has now been delivered to JCU in Townsville to undergo a necropsy to hopefully find out the cause of death. To be updated once the report comes back on the findings of Aries.
Demi – Green Turtle
Demi a female adult green sea turtle is nothing short of a miracle, she had suffered a horrible injury to her jaw when she would have been very young and learnt over the course of her life to still feed. She was found at Eimeo Creek in Mackay and because of her injury the first thought was this was a fresh injury, after two weeks in care she was showing full signs of health and was released back at Eimeo creek.
Bella – Loggerhead
Bella was found down at Bucasia beach, Mackay in a very weak and malnourished state. She was delivered to the WTRC where she did not pull through the night. Bella is now up at JCU in Townsville to undergo a future necropsy.
Turtles Previously in Care in 2019
Luigi – Green Turtle
Luigi is a juvenile green turtle who came into care on 9th October, he was very malnourished and lethargic, despite all our care and love, Luigi peacefully passed away on 11th November.
Mason – Green Turtle
Mason is an adult male Green Turtle who arrived in care on 7th October, it was clear that Mason had just been basking on the beach and was otherwise very healthy. We cleaned him up, fed him and monitored him for 5 days before releasing him on 12th October.
Striker – Green Turtle
Striker is an adult Green turtle found in Mackay on 20th September, she had a tag which we looked into and found that she had been tagged nesting in Wreck Island in 1983 and then again in 1999. She was very old and sadly passed away in care on 23rd September.
Hazel – Green Turtle
Hazel is a sub-adult green turtle found in the tidal area in front of Cane Cockies Beach, Shute Harbour on 13th July 2019. She was found entangled in fishing line and lures and had a severed front right flipper from the entanglement. Hazel is doing well in care so far, such an injury will take some time to heal. After a magnificent recovery, Hazel was released back into the Whitsunday waters on 9th October 2019.
Anastasia – Green Turtle
Anastasia was found on the mudflats at Port of Airlie on 27th July 2019, once in care it was clear that she had just been basking in the sun. She was released back out into the Whitsunday waters.
Tommy – Green Turtle
Tommy is a juvenile Green turtle who came in from Seaforth on 17th July 2019, he was suffering from float and Fibropapillomatosis virus, he recovered very well from his float and was transferred the Cairns Turtle Rehab Hospital on 20th September for further treatment to help with the virus. We are hoping he will make a full recovery.
Bruce – Green Turtle
Bruce is a juvenile green turtle found on Half Tide Beach, Mackay on 28th June 2019. He was suffering from float and had a heavy barnacle and algae load. He did amazingly well in care, and was able to be released on 14th August 2019.
Luna – Green Turtle
Luna is a juvenile green turtle found near the VMR Boat ramp on 2nd June 2019. She had a heavy barnacle and algae load, she had no other signs of illness or injury so she was cleaned up and released back into the Whitsunday waters on 6th June 2019.
Whitsunday Turtle Rescue Centre History
Since May 2013, 110 turtles have been cared for at the Whitsunday Turtle Rescue Centre, with 54 turtles making a remarkable recovery and being able to be released back into the wild.