Finding balance with Kai, the loggerhead turtle

FEISTY loggerhead turtle, Kai, has taken another big step in his rehabilitation journey with a brand-new buoyancy device.

- STAFF REPORTER

As a well-known and loved Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation turtle ambassador, Kai has been undergoing rehabilitation with the Turtle Conservation Centre for a few years.

Kai's rehabilitation journey began during the turtle hatchling stranding season of November 2020, when he was rescued, weighing just 100g. From the start, it was clear to the turtle team that something was wrong with Kai's buoyancy: He floated almost vertically in the water, with his right side sticking up.

Diagnostic tests revealed to the veterinary team that Kai had a severe case of pneumonia, which left him with a small, underdeveloped left lung. Although turtle veterinarian, Dr Bernice van Huyssteen, successfully treated the infection, the difference in lung size proved an ongoing challenge. Without the ability to balance in the water or dive for food, Kai needed serious intervention if he was ever going to get a chance to develop normally.

One of the initial ways that the turtle team began to help Kai balance was through weighted therapy. Tiny balls of steel putty were attached to Kai's shell when he was a hatchling, followed by coins and eventually fishing sinkers as he grew. These weights worked wonders for a time - Kai swam well, with only a slight asymmetry.