On March 15 a gentleman at Brooms Head rescued a critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtle that was floating in the shallows, he put it in his wheelbarrow and took it home to look after for the night – under the instruction he covered it in damp towels to keep the turtle hydrated.
Named Amber, she weighed just over 7kgs when she arrived at the Ballina Byron Sea Turtle Hospital.
‘She was covered in burrowing barnacles and had some major infections due to the wounds caused by the barnacles and had some pink ulcers on her skin. Over the next few weeks we carefully removed the barnacles and treated her deep wounds,’ said a spokesperson for the Ballina Byron Sea Turtle Hospital.
She received numerous courses of antibiotics and vitamin injections and after four months of care, Amber has now put on weight and all of her wounds are completely healed.
Amber is being released this morning, Thursday June 21 at 8.30am at the northern end of Lighthouse Beach Ballina near the surf club.
Volunteer Dan Twomey, who helped to rehabilitate her, will be releasing Amber at Lighthouse Beach, Ballina.
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