G’Day Mates,

Today I had the pleasure of going to Fitzroy Island to work at Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre. What an extraordinary place to be working!

I must add first, the people are so nice and welcoming and willing to teach you the proper ways to handle these enormous yet docile creatures. We were taught how to properly feed the turtles that were staying  at the rehab centre and how to clean their tanks. We even were allowed to give  them scratches on their shells, which they really enjoyed.

Jenny, our team leader, took us to each turtle’s tank and gave us a brief history about how they ended up on the island and when they think they can be released back into the wild. My favorite turtle there was Nellie. Nellie is Greenback sea turtle that came into the rehabilitation centre with fibropapillomatosis. It is very common virus in sea turtles, and luckily for Nellie, she did not have them internally and over time they fell off. She is just putting on some extra weight before she is able to be released into wild again.

The experience I had at the island was very rewarding; the people that are there with the turtles every day really  have a special bond with them. It made me feel great to be able to give back and help these turtles stay healthy and be that much closer to being released back into the wild.