Local legend Amanda Philp of Australian Seabird & Turtle Rescue has been awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship to study a devastating viral disease which affects green sea turtles here and around the world.
In 2022 the marine science graduate was awarded Tweed Shire Citizen of the year. She lives at Kingscliff.
When the Echo caught up with Ms Philp in Ballina she said she was ‘very, very excited’ about the news that she was one of 100 fellowship recipients selected out of thousands of applicants for a life-changing Churchill Fellowship, with the scheme celebrating 60 years in 2025. This is the first time she has applied.
So what are you going to do? ‘I’m going to go overseas to look at fibropapillomatosis – or you can shorten it to “fibropap” – in green sea turtles.’
Is that a common disease? ‘It’s not the biggest thing we see, but we definitely do find it in quite a few. Unfortunately it’s common practice in Australia that we euthanise that turtle, but we’ve got people overseas that are successfully rehabilitating them, so I want to be able to go over there and bring that knowledge back, so that we can rehabilitate them instead.’
Fibropap
What does fibropap do to the turtles? ‘It’s a viral tumour disease. So they get these cauliflower like-tumours growing over their eyes, on their skin, or internally. It affects their swimming; ability to see and feed. It’s quite a significant disease. We want to be able to treat that.’
Is it caused by environmental pollution? ‘There’s lots of research going on, but it can be from contact with other turtles, or marine leeches. The other reason to go over there is to look at quarantine facilities, and how they’ve got them set up.
‘That’s why a lot of people in Australia don’t rehab them, because of how easily fibropap is spread. There’s still a lot of work going on to try to understand it, but water quality and toxins in water can be a trigger, and then marine leeches are a vector they believe is actually spreading the disease.’
For the fellowship, Ms Philp is planning to travel to America, Bahamas and the Maldives, most likely early in 2026. She’s currently talking to colleagues overseas so she can plan to be there when the most fibropap patients are coming in. She’s expecting to be away for about five weeks.
A better chance for survival
The Churchill Fellowship has a reputation for creating very positive life repercussions for recipients. ‘Yes, that’s right. I’ve heard a lot of good stories come out of it. But obviously my key thing is getting these turtles – if not a cure, then at least a better chance at survival.’
Since the Echo last interviewed Amanda Philp, she’s been doing a masters by research at Southern Cross University, looking at bio-accumulation of heavy metal and pesticides in the tissues of green sea turtles.
She’s going to leave a big hole at the turtle hospital in her absence, but is expecting to remain in contact and have a casual or part-time staff member step up into her role while she’s away.
Could you tell us where your passion for turtles began? ‘I’ve wanted to be a marine biologist since I was little. I was very lucky to grow up around the beaches here. At uni, I wasn’t sure quite which avenue to take, but I knew it would involve animals and marine biology.
‘Then I did my internship with Australian Seabird and Turtle Rescue, and rescued my first turtle, Jolene. That’s probably where it all stemmed from.’
Positive change
It must be great to be doing something positive when there’s so much bad environmental news? ‘Absolutely, yeah. And being able to give the animals a voice is always nice as well. I’m just trying to make a small change in everything that’s going on out there.’
Is there anything else you want people to know about what they can do to help? ‘Yes, if they come across a stranded sea bird or a hurt sea turtle or sea snake, call ASTR. Picking up plastic, because that’s always a big problem.
‘With birds, fishing related injuries are another huge thing we see – probably about 90 per cent of sea birds come in with fishing related injuries, so please be aware of that if you are out fishing.’
Ms Philp said five turtle patients have recently been returned to the wild, with seven currently in care, and more expected to come in to the hospital as summer approaches.
Does the fibropap only affect green sea turtles? ‘It has been seen in all species, but generally it’s more green sea turtles. They do such massive migrations it’s a global issue.’
Amanda Philp hopes Ballina can become a centre in Australia for treating the disease, once she brings back the knowledge from overseas about quarantine facilities and treatment options.
‘Yes hopefully once we are successfully rehabilitating them, and I learn everything I need to, we can become the leaders in it. Let’s see how we go!’
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