When Marius Scholtz climbed onto the roof of a double story factory in St Francis to install a maritime radio antenna on the afternoon of Thursday 2 April 2020, he did not know he was about to become a hero to a little friend in need!
Marius’s quick thinking, together with the guidance from the Two Oceans Aquarium Turtle Rescue Network Coordinator Tracy Whitehead and the team at Port Elizabeth’s Bayworld Aquarium, resulted in what has certainly been the most incredible hatchling rescue story possibly ever.
At first, Scholtz thought it was a plastic toy – until that is as if out of s scene from Toy Story, the ‘toy’ began moving his head ever so slightly.
Marius contacted the Two Oceans Aquarium Education Foundation’s turtle rescue team, who gave him great advice on how to keep the turtle safe and comfortable until transport was arranged to the team at Bayworld in PE for further care. Flippers down the luckiest turtle out there!
Interested in hearing more about Roofus and Marius’s amazing story then click here to hear it all.
“It is once again so heart-warming to experience astonishing goodwill and care by people. Roofus is the luckiest turtle alive,” said Two Oceans Aquarium Education Foundation CEO Maryke Musson.
“This little turtle had pretty much no chance of survival or of being found, on a roof, but it sounds as if Marius, who has rescued many other animals before, was at the right place at the right time once again. We are also so grateful for our fantastic Turtle Rescue Network and the willingness by all the coastal municipalities to assist with turtle rescues during lockdown as part of wildlife conservation as an essential service and, of course, our head volunteer and turtle logistics hero, Tracy Whitehead, who tirelessly arranges rescues of turtles all along the coast 24 hours per day. There is always hope and every day seems to bring a positive story in some way or another – and today it is a ‘flying’ and then rescued little sea turtle.”