July 2020 17 A REVIEW OF STRANDED MARINE TURTLES TREATED BY USHAKA SEA WORLD ( SAAMBR) IN DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA JUDY MANN-LANG # , MALINI PATHER, THASHNEE NAIDOO & JERRY NTOMBELA South African Association for Marine Biological Research, Durban, South Africa # jmann@saambr.org.za INTRODUCTION Of the world’s seven sea turtle species, five are found in South African waters (Sink et al., 2019). e southwest Indian Ocean subpopulations of loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) turtles nest on the beaches of northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) while green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) turtles feed and mature in several offshore ecosystems along the South African coast (Sink et al., 2019). Globally, loggerhead and leatherback turtles have been assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List (Wallace et al., 2013a; Casale & Tucker, 2017), but regional populations in the Southwest Indian Ocean have been assessed as Near reatened and Critically Endangered respectively (Wallace et al., 2013b; Nel & Casale, 2015,). Hawksbill turtles have been globally assessed as Critically Endangered (Mortimer & Donnelly, 2008) while green turtles as Endangered (Seminoff, 2004). Furthermore, olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) turtles are rare along the coast and only enter South African waters as strays (Hughes, 1989). Since 1963, the local conservation management agency, currently known as Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW), has spearheaded turtle conservation efforts in South Africa. e number of nesting leatherback turtles rose from an average of 21 per season in the first 10 years of study, fluctuating annually, to as many as 164 individual females in a single season (1994/95). Since then, the numbers have declined but stabilised at 80 and 100 individual females per season (Hughes, pers. comm., 2020). e loggerhead turtle population has risen more consistently, from ~250 to >1,700 nests laid annually in northern KZN (Nel et al., 2013). Sea turtles have benefited from the protection of nesting beaches in the iSimangaliso Marine Protected Area since 1979 and the adjacent Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve in southern Mozambique since 2009. However, numbers of nesting turtles of both species during the last three nesting seasons have been “disappointing” (Hughes, pers. comm.). Injured, diseased or otherwise incapacitated nesting females and turtles of other life stages are unable to function normally and may flounder at sea or wash up on shore, a phenomenon known as stranding. Strandings occur for a variety of reasons including vessel strikes, ingestion of plastic, incidental capture in fishing gear, disease, and predation by sharks amongst many others (Flint et al., 2015). Once stranded, these animals have a reduced chance of survival if not brought into human care. Understanding trends in stranded species, numbers, size class and sites, and the factors that contribute to successful rehabilitation will assist future turtle rehabilitation efforts. METHODS is study analysed trends in live stranded turtles admitted to the uShaka Sea World Turtle Rehabilitation Centre (TRC) in Durban, South Africa, between 2007 and 2019. Stranded turtles found along the coast of KZN are brought to the TRC by members of the public or local authorities. Records are kept of each animal, including date of stranding, species, location of stranding, and the condition of the turtle on admission. An active file for each turtle is maintained throughout their rehabilitation that details present conditions, diagnosis, and treatment as well as husbandry information. e outcome of each case is also recorded. Data on released turtles includes location, date of release, and tag information if applicable. Over time, the quality of the data has varied. Initially, data were stored in a hardcopy format. Since 2015, the data have been transferred onto the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS, https://www.species360. org/), an international data management system designed to manage information on animals in zoos and aquaria. Descriptive analysis of the data was undertaken using MS Excel. Animals were pooled into three weight classes: <1kg, 1-50kg and >50kg. e sex of most animals could not be determined due to immaturity and similarities in tail length. e location of the stranded animal was recorded based on one of four predetermined regions on the KZN coast from north to south: iSimangaliso Wetland Park (~186km), North Coast (~152km), Central (~80km) and South Coast (~138km) (Figure 1).