By Abbey Cannan
It’s that time of year again when the baby turtles erupt from their nests and trek down Sunshine Coast beaches.
While the annual Clean Up For The Hatchlings event has been cancelled in its current format, the community is being called on to safely pick up rubbish at a time that suits them.
The staff of Sea Life Sunshine Coast Aquarium did their part while preparing the beach for a very special double turtle release.
Two Green Sea Turtles, Dasher and Blitzen, arrived to Sea Life Sunshine Coast just before the festive season, in need of care and rehabilitation.
Dasher was found on 3 December 2021 in the shallows of Mooloolaba Spit weighing 10kg, and Blitzen was earlier on 3 November 2021 washed up on Teewah Beach, weighing 7kg and has proved to have a very healthy appetite – munching on over 500g of food per day.
The pair of healthy turtles were released at 8am sharp on Tuesday 1 February on Mooloolaba Beach.
Sea Life Curator Kate Willson said the release went smoothly.
“They were a little bit slow off the gates getting out, but once they got in that water, they weren’t mucking around. They were like ‘Cya’,” she said.
“It’s always a bit of a bitter sweet feeling on the release day. We’re happy to see them go home but we do grow attached to them.”
“Everyone can play a part in the Clean Up For The Hatchlings event by going down to your local beach and spending 20 minutes picking up rubbish.
“This means that the little hatchlings can have a clean run straight down the sand, and hopefully they don’t come back to me, because that’s really sad to see those poor guys coming in. I would much prefer them to be out in the ocean doing turtle things.”
Kate said they currently have four turtles being cared for at Sea Life Sunshine Coast.
