Cairns Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center

The Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Center is dedicated to the rehabilitation of sick and injured sea turtles. All of the work is done by volunteers.

Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Center Website

Why are the turtles sick and injured?

  • Floaters Syndrome: This is what most of the turtles come to the center with. When sea turtles eat plastic it can block up their digestive tract which causes gasses to get trapped in their bodies. These trapped gasses cause the turtle to float. Floating is bad because that means they cannot dive underwater to look for food and then they could starve to death.

  • Fishing gear: Sea turtles can get tangled in fishing nets and fishing line. If they get tangled they cannot swim. This means they cannot find food, but also they cannot get to the surface to breathe air (they do not have gills like fish). Even if they can swim the netting can cut off circulation in their bodies which can damage their flippers and shells. One turtle Ms. Muller worked with actually bit one of his own flippers off trying to free himself from a net and another flipper had to be amputated once he was rescued because it was so damaged.

  • Boat accidents: boats can cause damage if they hit a turtle that has come to the surface to breathe.

  • Others

What types of turtles do they take care of?

  • Green sea turtles*

  • Hawksbill sea turtles*

  • Olive Ridley sea turtles *

  • Loggerhead sea turtles

  • Flatback sea turtles

* the ones with stars were the types of turtles at the center when Ms. Muller was there*

The Rehabilitation Center Sponsors of the Center

The turtle tanks Using a siphon to clean the tanks

Using a Net to clean the tanks Cleaning the algae off the filter bags

Preparing the food for the turtles (squid and fish today)

Scrubbing their shells to remove algae and also some just like the scratch

Francis (Green Sea Turtle) Lou (Olive Ridley Sea Turtle) Margaret

Twiggy (Hawksbill Sea Turtle) Woodson (Green Sea Turtle) Angie (Olive Ridley Sea Turtle)

(and Jennie, the founder of the center)

Jet (Green Sea Turtle and newest patient, he was found just days before Ms. Muller got there)

...and Ms. Muller is giving him some squid