If you’ve missed a certain local green sea turtle on your snorkelling trips off Shelly Beach this summer, fret not, as she has recently been released to Manly after almost a year in recovery.
The turtle, known to many around Manly as Brownie, was captured by divers in January of this year after she was seen embedded with hooks and struggling to swim with over a metre of fishing line wrapped around her. She was taken to Taronga Wildlife Hospital shortly after and received dedicated care, pain relief and long-course antibiotics.
“The ongoing 11-plus months of treatment and rehabilitation of this adult green turtle is one of the longest patients in Taronga Wildlife Hospital’s 50-plus-year history. Releasing this vulnerable species back to the wild is a feeling like no other and a testament to collaborative teamwork to successfully treat and rehabilitate this animal,” said Veterinarian Gabi Tobias, Taronga Wildlife Hospital, Sydney.
The sickly sea turtle not only had to remove multiple hooks and pass 1.67 metres of fishing line through her gastrointestinal tract, but a specialist scan also revealed bone-borne bacteria – likely caused by the embedded fishing hook in the front left flipper. After eight months of treatment, Brownie was finally well enough to be transported to SEA LIFE Sydney for rehabilitation.
Here she was administered nearly four months of ongoing treatment to build swimming and diving strength while receiving radiographs and blood check-ups.
Finally, on Thursday, 18 December, Brownie was deemed fit enough to be released back into the wild by the Taronga and SEA LIFE Sydney team. A NSW Police Boat was used to help release the rehabilitated turtle offshore near Fairy Bower Beach where she is known to reside.
Although this was a good news story with a positive ending, the story is unfortunately, not over yet. In the past fortnight, the Taronga Wildlife Hospital has already admitted an adult green turtle with severe injuries due to fishing line entanglement and a critically endangered loggerhead turtle, weighing over 110kg.
Both were admitted within the past fortnight and are now undergoing surgeries, treatment, and rehabilitation.
The rehabilitation of Brownie, as well as the admission of two more turtles, one under similar circumstances, is a stern reminder for fishermen to take care with their equipment.
“From all of us at Taronga Wildlife Hospital, please keep all fishing line, hooks, tackle, and bait covered when fishing, and take all rubbish, scraps and packaging home when you leave,” Gabi shared.
“If you accidentally hook or see an entangled or injured animal, please do not cut the line, and instead call Taronga Wildlife Hospital, SEA LIFE Sydney or your local wildlife rescue group – you could save its life.”
