One of the many roles of Mackay and District Turtle Watch is responding to Marine Stranding Reports and, if required, transporting turtles to the turtle hospital in the Whitsundays. On the 31st January 2021, members Ali, Jenni and Steve were involved in a callout for a stranded green turtle at Illawong Beach. In Ali’s words…
“I named her Gloria after Gloria Gaynor’s song ‘I Will Survive’, cos she’s a survivor. Her story goes like this…I got a call from a local walker that a turtle was on the beach. Someone else had already called the marine stranding hotline. I was right down the other end of the beach checking on a nest at the time. When I got to Gloria, her face was is the sand and she was quite lifeless, so I got the sand away from her face to unblock her nostrils and poured some water over her head to wash it all away.
Very soon, she moved her head a bit and opened her eyes. She has a left front flipper missing, an injury to her left back flipper (both old injuries) and is a bit malnourished. I organised some helpers and we had a bucket brigade going, wet towels and umbrellas. MDTW President Steve came and did a thorough health check then some local friends brought their car onto the beach with a trailer attached and she was lifted on to it in the harness.
Gloria was put into the enclosed tray back to be transported to the Whitsunday turtle hospital at Eco Barge CleanSeas She is responding well!”
We hope to see Gloria out of ‘hospital’ at back in the waters off Illawong Beach very soon.
To report a marine stranding, please call 1300 130 372