Rare turtle death not in vain

A rare sea turtle with only one recorded sample at the Queensland Museum will be examined by UQ marine scientists and veterinarians.

The Olive Ridley Turtle, the smallest of the sea turtles measuring about 60 centimetres long, was found washed up by a fisherman on Main Beach at North Stradbroke Island.

UQ Moreton Bay Research Station Education Officer Dr Kathy Townsend said attempts were made to save the turtle but it was too sick.

“It was actually a mad race to get it back to the station because the tide was coming in and dark was falling,” Dr Townsend said.

“The angler who picked it up, Dan Battersby from Point Lookout, broke an axle on his 4WD in his dash to get it here in the hope that we could do something for it.

“Despite his heroism, the turtle passed away soon after arrival.

“It was obvious that the turtle had been sick for some time, passively drifting with the ocean currents for up to several months.”

She said Moreton Bay was the southern extent of their distribution and Olive Ridleys had only been recorded once or twice in the past decade.

A necropsy of the turtle indicated that it had been ill for some time and was mostly likely pushed by ocean currents to the island.

Dr Townsend said DNA samples were sent to turtle expert Col Limpus at the Environmental Protection Agency who would use the samples to determine the turtle’s origin.

The skeleton will be sent to the Queensland Museum which currently lacks a complete Olive Ridley skeleton.

Various organs will be sent to UQ’s School of Veterinary Science for further diagnostic tests.

MEDIA: Dr Townsend (3409 9058) or Miguel Holland at UQ Communications (3365 2619)