Half-shell heroes saving lost turtles

Koha the Hawksbill turtle was nursed back to health by staff at Kelly Tarlton's turtle rehabilitation programme. Photo / Amelia Connell, The Pew Charitable Trusts

This week, the Herald takes a look at Kiwis who are dedicated to helping our animals. Today Jamie Morton looks at Kelly Tarlton's Turtle Rehabilitation programme.

Its name was Koha but the real gift was the crucial care a team of Auckland experts gave the critically endangered turtle, which ultimately saw its return to the wild.

The juvenile hawksbill, named by Ngati Kuri iwi, was found stranded at Glink's Gully near Dargaville in September 2014, in a severely lethargic and emaciated state.

Koha's journey back to health included being flown to Auckland for initial assessment at Auckland Zoo's Centre for Conservation Medicine, before two years of care at Kelly Tarlton's, with the support of the Sea Life Trust.

Experts at the trust suspected it was likely Koha was swimming in New Zealand waters as part of its early years, where turtles typically travel the world's oceans via major currents.

The turtles are known to prefer the warmer waters well north of New Zealand, where the juvenile Koha would have eaten coral, shellfish and crustaceans such as crabs and shrimps.

Finding a sick hawksbill was a major concern to conservationists; the species has already been hunted to near-extinction for its attractive shell, and was now under threat from ocean pollution and habitat destruction.

Its battle back to health involved being tube-fed a special diet and antibiotics, before it was slowly reintroduced to solid food and its body temperature was stabilised.

Eventually, Koha was moved into a larger tank to gain more strength, before it was released by NIWA scientists in October at Raoul Island in the Kermadecs.

The animal was one of the more memorable patients of the turtle rehabilitation programme run by Kelly Tarlton's with the Sea Life Trust, a not-for-profit conservation group.

Each year, it receives an average six to eight injured turtles, many of them from Ninety Mile Beach in Northland.

Koha the turtle is loaded onboard the NIWA ship Tangaroa for its trip back to the Kermadecs. Photo / NIWA

The most common species brought in are green turtles, loggerheads and hawksbills such as Koha are rarer,but all tend to be washed out of their warmer tropical areas and into colder regions if they're weak from injury or illness.

Specialists in the programme find the main problems are dehydration, cold shock and starvation; other issues include missing limbs or large wounds, bacterial infections and fish hook ingestion.

Their treatment first involves a assessment which typically includes X-rays, fluids for rehydration and antibiotics to fight infections.

Once the cause of the illness or injury is discovered, the turtles are treated and monitored in quarantine.

To ensure that the turtles are fully rehabilitated before releasing them back into the ocean, Kelly Tarlton's provides a temporary home for them over a period of time ranging between one to two years.

Their stay is usually spent in the aquarium's large fish tank, where they've been known to chase staff divers around for food.

The success of the rehabilitation depends on how sick the turtle is when it arrives. Staff try to offer the best facilities, care and expertise, whether the animal survives varies among individuals.

"To be able to rescue these incredible creatures and nurse them back to good health is a great feeling. Without care, these endangered sea turtles would not have had the chance they now have to live for decades more in the ocean," Kelly Tarlton's curator Andrew Christie said.

A recovering turtle is released by Kelly Tarlton's staff. Photo / Supplied

"The concept of breed, rescue and protect sits at the heart of our aquarium and being able to rescue animals in distress is a key activity for my team."

Inside New Zealand's turtle hospital

Once a sick turtle is found, the animal is typically given an initial assessment by Auckland Zoo vets, who take blood samples and X-ray scans.

Then it's taken to turtle rehabilitation programme at Kelly Tarlton's, where it's subject to daily observations of physical state and behaviour.

On arrival, some turtles can be too weak to lift their heads to breath so it can be risky to put them in water. Staff set up "trickle bins" that keep them warm while stopping them from drying out.

Once enough energy is gained, the turtle is then moved to a 2000-litre quarantine tank to continue its rehabilitation.

As warmth is critical for recovering turtles, temperature is taken on arrival, then staff slowly warm the animals up to 25C-27C over a few days.

Once the turtle is recovering and putting on weight, vets start to bring the temperature back down to the seasonal temperature.

Turtles generally come in too weak to feed themselves, so tube feeding is carried out morning and afternoon.

Specialists in the turtle programmme find the main problems are dehydration, cold shock and starvation; other issues include missing limbs or large wounds, bacterial infections and fish hook ingestion. Photo / Supplied

The tube fed is made up of an A/D diet - food for animals in critical care - and whatever medication the turtle may be on, offering a chance to add liquid to help with any blockages.

The first objective after the turtle has stabilised is to get it to feed.

This usually takes a few weeks of offering food multiple times a day either by hand or leaving it in the tank.

Turtles almost always arrive buoyant, which is believed to partly be a response to trauma.

This is usually just a waiting game hoping the air will naturally escape, and the process can take a few days to a few weeks.

Once the turtle regains a good appetite, gained weight, resolved its buoyancy issues and finished any medication it may be on the water in the tank is cooled down over a few weeks to match the aquarium's oceanarium and the turtle is released into that tank where it will stay until fit for a wild release.