| The Olive Ridley sea turtle that was rescued by a speedboat operator in the vicinity of the Stabroek Market at the mooring point for vessels mid-May month was yesterday returned to its natural environment in the Atlantic Ocean.The turtle when found, was thought to have had a hook in its mouth. This was not the case. What was clear was that it was discomfited and could not dive.It was transported to the National Zoo by Annette Arjoon,Cheap NHL Jerseys, of the Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society, who arranged for the sea turtle to be kept there.That night in May the woman was assisted by Constable Kim Persaud who helped transport the sea turtle to the zoo.According to Arjoon, “Olive” (the name given to the turtle) was “showing signs of getting better after receiving a regime of antibiotics” from Dr. Nicholas Waldron, who had initially done the medical intervention to ascertain that the turtle had nothing in its throat.After spending a short time at the zoo, “Olive” was transported to a tank at the Celina’s Resort but because she was bruising herself in the restricted area, she had to be removed and returned to sea before she further deteriorated.Arjoon stated, “She’s going blind… There is an evident increase in cases like these. Some years we celebrate if we spot one Olive Ridley but this year, to date, we have seen four traumatic cases, all because the innocent creatures eat food that becomes polluted or garbage thinking it’s jellyfish or something, plastic bags that are floating around in the waters”.With the assistance of Commander Beaton and his Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard ranks, media operatives along with Arjoon were able to travel some seven miles out into the Atlantic Ocean (from the Coast Guard Base at Ramp Road, Ruimveldt), where “Olive” was gently lowered into the waters with hopes that she would recover from her ordeal.However; to everyone’s disappointment, “Olive” did not dive into the water, she kept flapping her fins and bobbing at the top of the water even as the Coast Guard ship retreated to its base.It is highly unlikely that this Olive Ridley would live.When asked about “tagging” of the creature, Arjoon explained that Romeo De Freitas of the Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society, who is responsible for this action, was at Shell Beach and was scheduled to return tomorrow, but since they could not wait and it was imperative to return “Olive” to sea yesterday, she had to be released “untagged”.Arjoon did promise to ensure that whether or not De Freitas was available in future instances, she would personally ensure that some tags were made accessible by fellow staff, to continue the work in his absence.The Olive Ridley turtle is named for the generally greenish colour of its skin and shell, or exterior. It is closely related to the Kemp’s Ridley, with the primary distinction being that Olive Ridleys are found only in warmer waters.They are the smallest of the sea turtles, weighing up to 100 pounds (45 kilograms) and reaching only about two feet (65 centimeters) in shell length. The Olive Ridley has a slightly smaller head and smaller shell than the Kemp’s. |
