Bon voyage Bob the green turtle

He needed a nudge along the sand but his instincts soon kicked in.

Bob the green turtle, who was in rehabilitation at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town for eight years, took his first plunge back into the ocean off the KwaZulu-Natal coast on Friday.

Bob arrived at the Aquarium in 2014 with severe injuries, worsened by plastic ingestion, and was initially deemed “unreleasable”.

The Turtle Conservation Centre team treated his injuries and after a long rehabilitation introduced him to his temporary home in the I&J Ocean Exhibit.

Aquarium spokesperson Heather Wares said environment enrichment specialist Alexandra Panagiotou joined the team in 2020 and sparked hope for Bob’s potential release.

“She designed an environmental enrichment programme tailored to Bob’s needs and over the next two years saw steady progress in his development as he began to exhibit natural behaviour for green turtles. Bob’s regular behavioural assessments and neurological examinations increasingly showed healthy neurological responses, resulting in the decision in 2022 to release him.”

On January 23, Bob landed at Virginia Airport in Durban and was transported to uShaka Marine World.

Three days later Dr Bernice van Hyssteen and Dr Caryl Knox conducted a neurological exam.

“This was the moment of truth for Bob, determining if he was fit for release into the open ocean. Bob passed with flying colours, much to the team's delight and relief,” said Wares.

With the green light for release, Bob’s tags — a Fastlock GPS satellite tag, a Vemco acoustic tag and flipper tags on his front flippers — could be fitted.

“This is the first time the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation has triple-tagged a turtle and the team is excited about its research potential,” said Wares.

Bob was released on a private beach at Umvoti Beach House-Olwandle Estate, near the Hlimbitwa River mouth.

“On the morning of his release all involved had feelings of excitement and apprehension. His carers did their final wellbeing check, fed him and attached two tags to his front flippers. Once they were satisfied and the team was briefed, Bob was moved into a comfortable, padded wooden box for transport to the release site.

“Upon arrival, the team assessed the beach and prepared themselves for the big 'Bob-Voyage' moment. With the help of two Sharks rugby team players Boeta Chamberlain and Tinotenda Mavesere, the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation and South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) turtle teams carried Bob in his box to the water’s edge.

“At first, Bob needed a nudge along the sand, likely taking in his new surroundings. But his instincts soon engaged, while he made swimming motions, pulling himself into the surf. Everyone on the beach held their breath as he explored the shallows before quickly finding the rip into deeper water and swimming off,” said Wares.

Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation conservation manager Talitha Noble said Bob's release was special.

“Everyone there had a deep respect for Bob and he was ushered home with the most spectacular love. We have already seen that Bob has moved north, an area abundant with seagrass and where SAAMBR is tracking a few turtles,” said Noble.

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