Cape Town - Bob, the Two Oceans Aquarium’s rehabilitated green turtle, has swum 2 500km in 48 days after being released from rehab in January.
Bob was released into the water off the KwaZulu-Natal coast in late January following eight years in rehabilitation at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town.
Two Oceans conservation manager Talitha Noble said this was Bob’s first time entering the deep waters.
“Over the past 48 days, our team has watched in amazement as Bob meticulously stuck to the edge of the Agulhas Bank.
“The Agulhas Bank is the spectacular, shallow part of the southern African continental shelf where the Atlantic, Indian, and Southern Oceans converge.
“The waters here are very turbulent, but with the constant upwelling of seawater, they are also very nutrient-rich and attract lots of fish.
“We think Bob has been enjoying life along the continental shelf.
“When we last checked in with him, he was peeking over the edge of the shelf near Hermanus, where our turtle team was based on their road trip.
“It is encouraging to see Bob following the continental shelf – he is swimming savvily by staying at the gentle, warm surface of these nutrient-rich waters where he can stock up on food and conserve energy,” said Noble.
She added that it seemed as though Bob was ready for a deeper adventure as he has transitioned from a water depth of 600m to more than 3 000m.
“He certainly had us on the edge of our seats last week. We wondered if he would continue around the Cape of Good Hope, but he decided to head in a more westerly direction and explore even further offshore.
“He is now 140km from shore. These deeper waters represent a big, brave step for our Bob, and we are excited to see him explore the deep blue.”
The aquarium is tracking Bob’s adventures with a satellite tag as well as an acoustic tag with battery life of up to 10 years, which was donated by the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity’s (SAIAB) Acoustic Tracking Array Platform (ATAP) programme.
Cape Times