A male Green sea turtle has swum non-stop for five days, covering a distance of about 200km, from Phuket back to its home in the seas around Mu Ko Similan National Park in the Andaman, after eight years of treatment and rehabilitation at the Phuket-Sireetarn Marine Endangered Animal Rescue Centre.
The extraordinary journey of the turtle, affectionately named “Khun Poo Pae Daeng” (Grandpa Pae Daeng) in reference to bright red satellite tag attached to his shell, brought joy and excitement to a team of officials at the turtle hospital in Phuket, many of whom had been taking care of him for the past eight years.
Many were astonished at the turtle’s ability find its way back to its home waters from Tang Khen Bay in Phuket, where it had been released into the sea on March 8th. They tracked its long journey over the five days he took to reach its destination on March 13th.
“He didn’t stop for a rest, to eat or even for a cup of coffee during the five-day marathon swim,” read the whimsical Facebook post by the team. They said they have now lost contact with the turtle, as the battery in the satellite tag has probably discharged.
One of the team, who called himself “Thai Whales”, said that, even though Green sea turtles have a small brain, they use the Earth’s magnetic field and moonlight reflected in the sea for direction finding. He also said that a mother turtle can remember the exact spot on a beach where it has laid its eggs for many years.
Theerasak Saksritawee, one of the team, recalled a day about eight years ago when the Green sea turtle washed ashore in Phuket and a team of officials from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources was immediately dispatched.
The turtle had suffered serious injuries, with its shell cracked in several places after apparently being struck by a boat propeller. It was immediately taken to the rescue centre for treatment, which became his new home for the next eight years.
During treatment, the turtle was fed healthy food, such as fresh seaweed and small fish, according to Theerasak.
After the medical treatment, he was placed in a shallow nursery pond, where he started to learn to swim. When he became stronger, he was put in a larger and deeper pond, in preparation for the day when he would be released back into the wild.
On Grandpa Pae Daeng’s day of release, he was put into the sea in Tang Khen Bay and the whole team went to give him a warm send-off.
