Sea turtle released after second round of rehabilitation at Aquarium
Kia Ora Neighbors,
Connie the green sea turtle has been released back into the ocean after her second round of rehabilitation by the team at SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium’s Turtle Rehabilitation Centre.
Connie was originally rescued in December 2018, stranded in Henderson Bay weighing just 18kg. After this first rescue and rehabilitation by the SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s team, Connie was released at Poor Knights Island Marine Reserve in March 2019.
Almost two years later, in November 2020, Connie was found stranded yet again, this time just 9km from where she was originally found. After this second rescue, Connie has stayed in the care of the Turtle Rehabilitation team for the past 16 months.
When Connie was rescued in November 2020, she was found to have problems with her digestion, likely caused by the ingestion of non-edible particles such as plastic. Connie was also suffering from chronic pneumonia, which can be a common illness seen in sea turtles during the cold winter months.
After initial tests and treatments by the veterinary team at Auckland Zoo, Connie was transferred to SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s to spend time in New Zealand’s only rescue turtle rehabilitation facility. Connie was tube fed by the team daily in order to gain strength, and once Connie had fought off the pneumonia and her digestive system was cleared, the team focused on seeing Connie gain some much needed weight and building her physical strength swimming with the other turtles in care.
While undergoing treatment, Connie has proven herself to be a very active sea turtle – a strong swimmer with great buoyancy and a hearty appetite. At the time of her release last week, Connie weighed a very healthy 45kg!
“It's always a bittersweet feeling when we release turtles back into the wild as we spend so much time and hard work rehabilitating them and developing feelings for them. However, we have no doubt Connie is in the absolute best condition to survive in the wild and we are all so happy she gets this second chance at life!” said Jessica Van De Pas, Aquarist at SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium.
SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s is home to New Zealand’s only Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, which has rehabilitated and released over 50 sea turtles over the past 23 years. SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s is also home to magnificent sand tiger sharks, New Zealand’s only colony of Sub-Antarctic penguins, hundreds of different fish species, and many more marine creatures.
Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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84.5% Yes
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14.1% No
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐒: 𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐁𝐔𝐒 𝐎𝐑 𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝟏𝟕-𝟏𝟖-𝟏𝟗 𝐍𝐎𝐕 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒!
Auckland Transport is dropping the Mt Eden/Epsom/southern area from the OuterLink bus route as from Sunday 17 November 2024.
If your bus trip is impacted by this change in the OuterLink bus route (eg, if you have to catch a different bus or if you have to interchange buses once or twice) and you are not sure what to do, we urge you to catch your new bus (or buses) on Sunday 17 November, Monday 18 November and Tuesday 19 November.
This is because Auckland Transport will have Ambassadors out and about on those THREE days to help people with their new bus journeys! (AT may then have ambassadors out for an extra day or two, but this will depend on perceived need).
You can already plan your new journey on the Auckland Transport web site. The Journey Planner tool has been updated (but make sure you input a date from 17 November onwards). Or you can contact Auckland Transport with any enquiries as you would usually do, eg, phone 09 366 6400 or live chat at at.govt.nz... etc.
The Mt Eden Village Business Association knows that the southern half of the OuterLink bus route is heavily used by school children, the elderly, people for whom English is a second language, and other vulnerable groups. So, if you do see anyone who is confused by these changes, please be as helpful as you can. Thank you!
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
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