Through our partners Equipment Cafe in South Africa, we would like to share with you the story of Michael and Elaine who have been involved in turtle rescue efforts for about eighteen months.
They have been spending many hours around beaches and driving around after these incredible creatures and only recently, have they found one turtle who was caught up in a net in Gansbaai and brought immediately to Cape Town to be treated at the Two Oceans aquarium and to recover from hyperthermia.
“Hundreds of volunteers work to save these animals and I can’t tell you enough how incredibly rewarding this work is … the plastic problem is enormous in the ocean and most of the small guys we rescue would be dead without their help.” stated Michael.
Today, the turtle is hydrated, warmed up, and doing better, and has also been given a name, Bomvu (meaning red in local isiXhosa language) due to the beautiful red colouration… and enjoys time resting in a La Marzocco box!
“I estimate that she is in her 20’s and a female; a male at that age would most likely have a substantially longer tail. She is moving around and showing interest in food. Her medical went well – her glucose is 7.3 and bloods/X-rays appear healthy, after starting to take antibiotics and a good set of vitamins. We will be giving her small amounts of food until we can confirm that her gut is working properly. Whilst she appears healthy, we are still keeping a close eye on her.” <3 <3 <3