A female hawksbill turtle has been rescued and returned to the ocean by rangers after she became wedged beneath driftwood on Womer Cay in the far northern Great Barrier Reef.
Recently, rangers from the Department of the Environment, Science, Tourism and Innovation were visiting some of Queensland's most northern parks during a trip from Lockhart River to Horn Island.
While conducting surveys for crested terns and lesser crested terns on Womer Cay, the female Hawksbill turtle was found wedged under a large piece of driftwood.
Ranger Katie Bampton said the turtle was most likely making her way up the beach to lay a clutch of eggs when she became stuck.
"Thankfully she was spotted and ranger Joman Tomasello carefully removed her from the log and carried her to the ocean," Ms Bampton said.
"We assumed she had been stuck since the previous evening when she came ashore to lay, and we found her around 11am.
"She would've been stuck for hours and due to the very hot conditions, we believe she wouldn't have survived much longer.
"When she was placed in front of the ocean, she took a little bit of time to get moving but eventually swam away.
"The water would've felt so good, and we're hoping she returned to Womer Cay that evening to come ashore and lay a clutch of eggs.
"While we were on Womer Cay, we saw track marks on the beach where turtles had come ashore to lay, and we saw pits in the sand where clutches had hatched.
"Hawksbill turtles are critically endangered due to the impacts of climate change, accidental capture in fishing equipment and reef habitat destruction.
"The rangers who were on that trip are thrilled that we were able to rescue her and send her on her way.
"These small cays in the Torres Strait and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park are remote but they are extremely important for bird life and turtles."
Hawksbill turtle facts:
- They are easily distinguishable by their beaks.
- They are small but fast swimmers.
- Females nest around four times each season, laying around 140 eggs.
- Hawksbills feed mainly on reef sponges, consuming around 450kg annually.
- They are highly migratory, travelling thousands of kilometres between nesting and feeding grounds.
Womer Cay is a small, sparsely vegetated cay about 65 kilometres east of Bamaga off the coast of far north Queensland.
