Saving Turtles
14 Mar 2015It seems to be becoming more and more of a regular occurrence these past couple of months as the Kuredu Team were once again called into action to save the lives of 2 Turtles that had unfortunately become entangled in a ‘ghost net’ that had been floating in the ocean.
The rescue took place on the way to Kuredu Express for a special ‘Thank You’ dive for the large number of repeater guests that were diving on Kuredu. As one of the boats arrived to check the current, they noticed the net floating on the surface.
Closer investigation showed a Green Sea Turtle and an Olive Ridley Turtle severely trapped and entangled in the net. Turtles approach these ‘ghost nets’ as they search for food, becoming trapped as they venture closer to the net to see what they can eat. Luckily the trapped Turtles were able to breathe and keep themselves alive until they were thankfully spotted by the Team.
The Green Turtle was incredibly agitated by the arrival of the rescuers, and with the thin net rope already cutting through the Turtle’s flesh, the decision was taken to remove her from the water and free her from the net on the boat to avoid further injuries.
It’s incredibly sad to see the damage that these ‘ghost nets’ are wreaking to the Turtles of our Oceans. As the Turtles were freed, the net was removed from the water and the necessary measurements taken and passed on to the Olive Ridley Project who are busy analysing the source of the net.