Interacting with a turtle is a one off, crazy lucky experience which leaves a mark on a person. They are a thing of beauty. A slice of how truly incredible nature can be but a stark reminder of what it is we ocean conservationists are trying to protect.
We met Carrie at the Bournemouth Oceanarium and it was a total pleasure. A loggerhead turtle who was born and raised in captivity after being conceived in an aquarium. She is looked after and managed by a team fo marine biologists and aquarists.
Caretta caretta or loggerhead turtles are considered to be at risk and are threatened in natural, wild environments. They are considered key to ocean conservation because other animals in their ecosystems depend on them for survival. They are a key link in a very fragile chain of other species and organisms.
Having the opportunity to meet her was quite overwhelming. She is a very young turtle despite her size and is not yet fully matured. Her care is also supported by research. Carrie is one of the first turtles conceived, born and raised in an oceanarium and how she grows and biologically develops in this environment provides vital data for future turtles. Sending Carrie out to sea would be detrimental and it is highly likely that she would not survive. Many turtles brought into marine clinics and aquarium hospitals for short stays after injuries in the wild are planned to return but Carrie has not developed the skills or natural awareness of open ocean survival.
Learning from her is crucial to understanding her species and how we can ultimately support more like her to avoid loosing her kind all together one day.
In the wild threats consist of many things but one of the most dangerous is bycatch in fishing gear, primarily longlines, trawls, hook and lines and gillnets but also in dredge fisheries and pond nets. They also suffer and are at risk from poachers and face habitat destruction. It is important to mention here that before they are even born they face threats in beach nests from humans or animal predators. About one in a thousand turtles will make it to adulthood. When you think about that you really appreciate how much they need protecting.
Visiting this oceanarium and meeting Carrie is about education. If we meet these species, we care more and if we care more we don’t want to loose them and then we work to protect them.
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