Giant turtle found in EL arrives safely at PE’s Bayworld

Toughey, the giant 100kg loggerhead turtle found floundering on the shore at Chintsa West, arrived safely in Port Elizabeth’s Bayworld yesterday after a month at the East London Aquarium.

This is thanks to Hlumisa Engineering, which responded to the East London Aquarium’s social media appeal for a lift for the turtle, which needs an Xray and further care.

The loggerhead was found upside down by a little girl in rock pools near the village’s tidal pool on December 13.

Attempts to re-float the sea reptile were unsuccessful and it was transported to the East London Aquarium.

Buffalo City Metro’s chief of marine services Siani Tinley said although the turtle was treated with antibiotics and eye ointment and received fluids and glucose, it had not fared as well as aquarium staff would have liked.

“He was in a freshwater bath for a few days and put in an outside pool to allow him to swim and get the weight off his carapace.

“Last week we tried to tube him food but he kept regurgitating it,” she explained.

She said that with the advice of uShaka Marine World in KZN, it was treated for general conditions and for a buoyancy problem which prevented it from diving and restricted it to swimming on the surface. This could be caused by a blockage, either from disease or from swallowing plastic.

Tinley said there had been a good response for the social media call to drive Toughey to PE in a canopy-covered bakkie and keep it wet during the journey.

“We would like to thank all those who so willingly offered lifts and concern for Toughey.” — barbarah@dispatch.co.za