Flaviemys purvisi
Very Well-Known Member
by JASMINE BURKE
9th May 2018
SIXTY FIVE rare and endangered turtles have been successfully hatched and released off a Byron Bay beach thanks to the efforts of volunteers and NSW National Parks and Wildlife staff.
At first things didn't look good for the loggerhead hatchlings, because they were too weak to dig through sand and out of their nest.
The loggerhead nest was first discovered by rangers just over three months ago and they had been monitoring it ever since.
*After four days in the care of volunteers from Australian Seabird Rescue (ASR), the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), with the help of NSW Fisheries, have released 65 rare and endangered Loggerhead turtle hatchlings back into the wild.*
Six unwell hatchlings were brought into the Byron NPWS office on Monday after a concerned member of the public discovered them struggling on the beach.
NPWS Rangers determined they were from the monitored nest and decided to excavate the remaining hatchlings due to concerns for their survival if they were left in the nest any longer.
NPWS ranger, Keely Markovina, said that it was clear after excavating the nest that the hatchlings were not in great shape after incubating for 91 days.
Ms Markovina said they were lethargic, cold and weak.
"We monitored them to see if they could make their own way into the ocean, but due to their condition and decent swells, the odds were not in their favour that day," she said.
"We took them in to ASR (Australian Seabird Rescue) for care for a few days to see how they'd go before releasing them.
"Given this species is in such trouble, we wanted to make sure we gave them every possible chance of surviving.
"So very few actually make it to adult breeding age anyway."
She said the turtles had a hard battle against nature this season, "including sand accretion, cool temperatures and tidal inundation in the nest".
Regardless, this has been a big season for loggerhead turtle nests, with a recorded seven nests this season in the Byron-Tweed area.
"That's a lot. We usually get only one or two a season," Ms Markovina said.
A total of 65 turtle hatchlings were transported in a Fisheries boat almost 18km out to sea to be released by NPWS and ASR.
"Hopefully at least one makes it to maturity and one day comes back to nest in the same area," Ms Markovina said.
NPWS urges the community to report all sightings of turtle tracks, hatchlings and dead/injured turtles to their local NPWS office so that they can be managed for the conservation of the species.
