Cape Town - After his almost decade-long rehabilitation at the Two Oceans Aquarium, Bob the endangered green sea turtle will today be transported from the Aquarium to KwaZulu-Natal for his release back into the ocean.
Over the weekend, hundreds of people came to bid farewell to the beloved turtle.
Bob’s near-death encounter with ocean plastic pollution was a wake-up call for how consumption at home affected the natural world.
He has become a symbol of resilience and strength for many, having overcome major challenges during his eight-year rehabilitation.
This included blindness, ingested plastic, systemic infection and remembering wild behaviours despite having permanent brain damage.
Two Oceans Aquarium conservation manager Talitha Noble explained that, today, Bob would be transported from the aquarium in a stretcher especially made for him, which reduced external stimuli and ensured that he was safe and comfortable.
“He will be driven to Stellenbosch Aerodrome, where he will catch a private flight with the Bateleurs: Flying for Conservation, which is sponsoring Bob’s flight to Durban.
“One of Bob’s carers will fly with him to Virginia Airport, where he will be collected by the team from the SA Association for Marine Biological Research and taken straight to Ushaka Marine World,” Noble said.
Bob is then going to spend a few days in a completely foreign environment at one of the exhibits upon arrival in KZN.
Noble said this was important as it would be the first time they observe his behaviour in an environment where he is completely unfamiliar.
“We will then be releasing Bob on the KZN coastline, a few hours north of Durban at a suitable beach, as this is an area where green turtles are common, the water temperature and food availability optimal. This will give Bob the opportunity to take it easy, decide whether he wants to hang out a bit or mission offshore,” Noble said.
A massive supporter of Bob was endurance runner and environmental activist Karoline Hanks, who was the first person to complete the demanding 13 Peaks Challenge back-to-back, all as part of her fundraising efforts to help to acquire a state-of-the-art tracking device for Bob. This tag will enable them to keep track of his movements in the ocean after his release.
Hanks even got a tattoo of Bob on her wrist, and during the strenuous 71-hour run, always looked down at it when she needed motivation to continue.
Sea turtle enrichment co-ordinator Alandra Panagiotou said: “The reason I became enrichment co-ordinator is because of Bob. We put together an enrichment programme especially for Bob, which included different devices and activities that created challenges for him so he could exhibit species-specific behaviours,” Panagiotou said.
