R3 million and counting: The amount needed for unprecedented number of stranded turtles

The Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation in Cape Town will need more than R3 million to look after the unprecedented number of turtle hatchlings found stranded on beaches around the Western Cape in just the past five days.

As of Friday morning, the foundation's Turtle Conservation Centre had 304 tiny turtles in its care, with 72 about to be relocated to uShaka Marine World in Durban and another 30 due to be delivered to Cape Town's aquarium by the afternoon.

With each hatchling costing the centre about R10 000 to rescue and rehabilitate over the six to eight months it takes before they can be released back into the ocean, more than R3 million will be needed this year, Talitha Noble-Trull, head of turtle conservation, said at a press conference at the Two Oceans Aquarium on Friday.