Jeannie Gilbert is the Manager and Co-founder of Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre (CTRC) in Cairns Tropical North Queensland, Australia. She is an extremely busy lady, but during the COVID-19 lockdown period we managed to finally sit her down for this face to face interview which took place on Down Under Cruise and Dive's Superyacht Day Boat, 'Evolution'.
CTRC works closely with all reef operators in Cairns as we are their eyes on the Great Barrier Reef, and will always report any sick or injured turtles that we see - and either bring them to her to take care of, or report the sighting in the hope that the animal can be picked up as quick as possible. In four words, Jeannie sums up what the CTRC does. RESCUE, REHABILITATE, RESEARCH AND RELEASE turtles.
As well as having lead the CTRC for over two decades, Jeannie also works at James Cook University in Cairns where she is part of a team that conducts important research on Sea Turtles.
"Well to begin with we can't rescue sick or injured sea turtles if there are no or limited boats on the water and with all the restrictions to movement, we just aren't aware of what's happening out there. We rely heavily on boats like Evolution and other reef operators who travel to the reef daily to report to us and so I believe there are likely many turtles out there that are suffering and we can't get to them right now."
"Our main rehabilitation centre (turtle hospital) is located on Fitzroy Island which is about 45 minutes cruise north east of Cairns. Since lockdown there is no daily ferry anymore, but luckily we have had two very dedicated voluteers staying on the island and looking after the turtles that are there."
"Yes we do. We have six of the seven turtles species in the world living right here in our oceans and on the Great Barrier Reef. These species include the Loggerhead, Green, Flatbacks, Hawksbills, Olive Ridleys and Leatherbacks. Green Sea Turtles are the most common variety and it would almost be a guarantee that day visitors would likely see at least one of these. Hawkbills are listed as a rare species but are certainly around, and I have heard that Loggerheads have been spotted out there. Swimming with Turtles"
"It's one of the main bucket-list items for any visitor to the Great Barrier Reef, to view and swim with turtles. These amazing creatures are beautiful, relaxed and can be very curious and engaging while posing no harm to people at all. Reefs like North Hastings, located on the outer Great Barrier Reef about 80 minutes by boat north east of Cairns are prefect sites for seeing turtles. These sites are great feeding grounds and providing the variety of foods eaten by the different species of turtle found in our waters. Green turtles for instance forage among seagrass beds while hawksbill and the leatherback eat sponges and jellyfish."
"Try not to get to close or allow them to get too close to you. They are pretty relaxed creatures and while they are aware of you being there, they give the impression that they aren't and will mostly ignore you and get about their day. Remember if you are taking underwater photography definitely no flashes in their eyes and absolution no touching them. They can be a great snorkel or dive companion as when they are grazing the menu, they move around pretty slowly and its easy enough to keep up with them, and get a good look to see if you can identify their species and just observe a wild animal going about its business on the Great Barrier Reef."
"Well we always release our recovered turtles at the outer reef because we prefer locations where there are known turtle populations. The outer reef with its variety of depth and diverse types of coral is a prime feeding ground for our turtles to help them recover fully before they move on, sometimes travelling huge distances from where we release them."
"There is also less boat traffic and they are away from the shipping channel, where large container ships can pose a danger for our turtles who may still be spending more time at the surface."
"When Jet was brought into us, he was very sick and very weak and likely had an Impaction (blockage) in his gut. He had been floating on the surface of the oceans for a very long time. So he had not eaten for may days, possibly weeks and had been exposed to the weather - the waves and the sun. Our first job was to get his weight back as he was extremely malnourished and we don't return turtles to the wild until they are at least 10% over their normal body weight."
"After two years in recovery, he was ready to go back. Our team always place a satellite tracker on them which allows us to track the turtles health profile. We can see if they are taking long, deep dives indicating a healthy turtle. But if we see shallow dives for short intervals, that indicated our turtle is still not 100% healthy. Well Jet, as soon as he was released swam straight to the bottom and started feeding."
"It was a great day, and great to see the reaction of everyone on board Evolution that day. Certainly a big bonus for visitors who just happened to choose the right day to travel to the Great Barrier Reef. They witnessed the release of a turtle who had been on the brink, and had been nursed back to health by our team - it was a great moment for him and us as well."
Thank you Big Thank you to Down Under Cruise and Dive and Evolution. What a great day it was to release Jet off this star boat. Big thank you to all the staff who were so professional and so helpful.. So from the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre - Thank you.
*Image credit: Fitzroy Island Turtle Rehabilitation Centre
ABN: 73 683 832 334
(07) 4052 8300