Kelly Tarlton rescue and rehabilitation team members,
Andrew Christie, left, Allan Palacio and Garry McMurtrie
hoist Tarly the loggerhead turtle into position for
releasing near the Pinnacles in the Poor Knights Islands
marine reserve near Tutukaka, Northland, today. Phot by
Malcolm Pullman/NZPA.
An injured sea turtle, nursed back to health for more
than year, was released into the wild near the Poor Knights
Islands, off the east coast of Northland today.
The loggerhead turtle, named Tarly, was cared for by staff at
Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World
rescue and rehabilitation team and the Department of
Conservation.
Prior to the release, the turtle was fitted with a satellite
tag which would enable staff at Kelly Tarlton's to track her
movements and learn more about these mysterious creatures.
Kelly Tarlton curator Andrew Christie said sea turtles were
notoriously secretive and were also extremely threatened with
six of the seven species recognised as endangered or
critically endangered.
"The more we know, the more we can help protect them ... We
expect that, because so little is known about sea turtles,
the information we gather from this tag will be of interest
to the scientific community abroad," he said.
In the 14 months she had been at the Auckland oceanarium, the
turtle had thrived, nearly doubling her weight and hitting
the scales at an impressive 80kg, Mr Christie said.
Loggerheads were extremely rare in New Zealand waters.
Tarly washed up on Baylys Beach near Dargaville in November
2007, suffering from dehydration and exhaustion and had
large, raw wounds on the back of her head.
A course of antibiotics was administered and she was tube fed
a special formula of fluids and prescription cat food to
regain her strength.
By late January 2008 she was feeding well and was ready to
enter the oceanarium.
Mr Christie said the process of nursing animals like Tarly
back to health usually took one to two years, and watching
them swim away when released is "both a little sad and
extremely fulfilling".
The facility currently had two more recovering turtles - a
hawksbill and a green.
The hawksbill turtle is on the World Conservation Union's
critically endangered list.
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