Getting turtles Back on Track

摘要

In 2017 a high number of juvenile turtles were found along WA's southwest beaches, having been pushed out of the Leeuwin current - the warm ocean current that flows south along the west coast. It is not uncommon for juvenile turtles to lose their waywhen the Leeuwin current meets the opposing current that runs along the southern part of Australia in summer. But storm activity last year, combined with an increased vigilance by members of the public who reported them, resulted in a higher-than-normalnumber of juvenile loggerhead turtles being rescued on WA beaches - 80 in total. Like those that presented before them, the animals found in 2017 were in poor condition. Some were missing flippers; others suffering from disease; and, in most cases, theywere suffering from exhaustion. Almost all the turtles also presented with what's known as 'cold-water stunning', caused by the drop in temperature of the waters outside the Leeuwin current.