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Twin turtles rescued from being buried in the sand as newborns and raised by the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre have swum to freedom on the Great Barrier Reef.Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre founders Jennie Gilbert and Christian Miller and 35 volunteer turtle carers travelled with Cairns dive and snorkel operator Passions of Paradise to Flynn Reef on the edge of the Continental Shelf to release the two and half year-old sibling green sea turtles.
Ms Gilbert said Tilly and Sammie were cared for until they were 45cm in length so they would be large enough to survive in the ocean some 50km out to sea from Cairns.
“They were lucky to be found buried in the remains of a turtle nest that had erupted with hatchlings. They were too exhausted to make the run down the beach and didn’t swim when they were introduced to the water,” she said.
“At just 3cm in size they were taken to James Cook University where they could be cared for around the clock as they were so tiny that they had to be fed bits of prawn with tweezers.
“Once Tilly and Sammie were large enough they were relocated to the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre on Fitzroy Island so we could build them up ready for release by feeding them a diet of peeled prawns, squid, kale, broccoli and high-quality fish.
“When turtles hatch they race out in a swimming frenzy and head for the drift line along the Continental Shelf. They live there for the first five to 10 years of their life where the threat of predators is less. This is known as the lost years and at this stage they are omnivores and eat everything, they then move inshore and live on a diet of algae and seagrass.
“Tilly and Sammie were very lucky to be found and they have done really well in progressing to the stage where they can be released on the Great Barrier Reef. Both are fitted with satellite trackers so we can monitor their health profile, distance, dives, depth of dives ad time on the water surface with one purchased through the fundraising efforts of local lad Hugo MacDonald.
“Our ability to release rehabilitated turtles to safe areas is thanks to the generosity of local reef operators like Passions of Paradise. Owners Alan Wallish, Scott Garden and Roger Cumming kindly donated the 30m catamaran to the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre.”
Passions of Paradise Environmental Manager Russell Hosp said Passions of Paradise was committed to volunteer work to help the health of the Great Barrier Reef and turtle releases were one of the many projects the family business participated in.
“Seeing a turtle swim to freedom after being rehabilitated is really exciting and Tilly and Sammie were just as excited as the volunteers who helped see them on their way to a new life on the Great Barrier Reef,” he said