Lone turtle at Aquarium critical, 2 died last month

Mumbai: A Green Sea turtle from Taraporewala Aquarium in south Mumbai is in a critical condition after being infected by a stomach disease. The turtle is currently being treated at the Dahanu Turtle Rescue Centre. The aquarium has already lost two of its three turtles, a Green Sea turtle and a Hawksbill, to stomach infections last month.

The Green Sea turtle, which died on May 24, was suffering from a stomach infection but ultimately succumbed to cardiac arrest, according to the post mortem report.. The Hawksbill, which died on May 31, also suffering from stomach infection, had earlier been detected with a tumour that was operated on last month.

“I was contacted the same day when the aquarium staff observed one of the turtles floating on the water tank’s surface. The caretakers said that both turtles showed no signs of any infections before and in case of cardiac arrest also, it is hard to establish if something is wrong with the turtle,” said Dr. Dinesh Vinherkar, veterinary at the Dahanu Turtle Rescue Centre.

Dr Vinherkar had also suggested that the staff of the aquarium regularly filter the water in the tank and that the turtles be put in a bigger water tank after the Hawksbill was diagnosed with tumour.

Meanwhile, wildlife activists have raised concerns about how all three turtles at the Tarap-orevala Aquarium contracted stomach infection.

“It raises serious concerns over the up-keep of the aquarium as the stomach infection could only be due to poor water and food only. We have also been requesting the authorities to look into the matter of the background wall colour peeling into the water tanks, which could have contaminated the water,” said Sunish Subraman-ian, secretary of Plants and Animals Welfare Society (PAWS) Mumbai.  He also highlighted the need of a medical facility within or near the aquarium for immediate treatment of marine animals inside the aquarium.

However, officers from the Taraporevala Aqua-rium have ruled out the possibility of poor water tank condition.

“We have shifted the other ailing green sea turtle to the Dahanu Rescue Centre. It cannot be established that there was some contamination in the water, as the condition of other marine animals, including the fish, is normal,” said Ajinkya Patil, curator at the Taraporevala Aquarium.