By Ann Kunz
Six members of SAAMBR’s Turtle Rehabilitation Team attended the BAF/Oceans Alive Sea Turtle Conservation and Management Mini Symposium.
The symposium which was held at Sodwana Bay between the 16th and 19th November, was designed to bring turtle rehabilitation teams, monitors, researchers from all corners of South Africa and Mozambique together.
As one of three organisations in South Africa responsible for caring for stranded turtles, this symposium presented the opportunity for SAAMBR staff to share their expertise as well as learn from other experts in the field of turtle conservation.
One of the presentations focussed on the alternative tagging methods currently being researched in South Africa. This was of particular interest to the SAAMBR turtle team who are looking forward to the day when all our stranded turtles will be tagged before being re-introduced to the ocean. Traditionally young turtles were not tagged prior to being released. These alternative tagging methods will hopefully make it possible to tag turtles of all sizes.
“One of the outcomes of the symposium which I am really excited about is the standardization of our turtle rehabilitation admission forms. This will ensure that relevant information which can assist researchers is captured in the same format from the time of admission at all three leading turtle rehabilitation facilities in South Africa ” said SAAMBR Senior Quarantine Aquarist, Malini Pather.
