KOTA KINABALU – Amid all the pandemic turmoil, here's a piece of good news. A green turtle rescued off the coast of Kudat by NGO Kudat Turtle Conservation Society last month is finally released back into the sea today.
Klowyi, as named by veterinarian Dr Mischellena Samanthan Micheal who looked after her, is a 10-kilogramme juvenile green sea turtle. She was found floating on the sea off the northern district last month.
The turtle was fighting for her life due to buoyancy issues, or the floater syndrome when she was handed over to the Sabah Wildlife Department Rescue unit where Michael works.
Turtles can get the floater syndrome from eating plastics thrown at sea or from fungal infection. Luckily, in the case of Klowyi, her conditions suggest that it was only a bacterial infection.
"She was given constant monitoring and twice a week we had to perform coelomocentesis, a procedure to expel air from the body cavity," she said.
The chances of turtles surviving out in the sea are usually slim if they suffered from floater syndrome. The accumulation of gas in the body will result in the animal not being able to dive in for food and protection.
They could die from starvation or will likely be hit by the tail rudder of boats, said Michael.
Her superior, Dr Sen Nathan, who is the chief wildlife veterinarian, said Klowyi was handed to them by the NGO last month. To find a place to treat her was not easy.
"She needs a place where the sea is nearby. We tried to call several beach resorts but most of them refused.
"It was the Shangri-La Tg Aru Beach Resort that said yes and took Klowyi in," said Sen, adding that the turtle arrived at the resort's Marina on April 7.
For over a month, Klowyi was kept inside a huge blue tank. She was under constant monitoring by the department's rescue unit, with Dr Michael overseeing her treatment inside the resort's Clownfish Discover Centre.
Klowyi was released today near Pulau Sapi in Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. Being about 10 minutes' boat ride from the resort, her caretakers hope to see her nesting in Kudat in the future.
Present during the release was Shangri-La Tanjung Aru resort general manager Timothy Sainsbury and the resort's CSR sustainability service leader Joyce Murang. – The Vibes, May 12, 2021
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