AangelStarr 
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(6/15/06 3:14 am)
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Diane Sawyer
The remarkable story of Diane Sawyer
More often than not, it’s the wildlife atrocities and cruelty to animals that receive our attention in the world of conservation. However, here at the Australian Wildlife Hospital we get to see both sides of the coin – the disheartening and the uplifting. We never cease to be amazed by the kindness and generosity of spirit that some people show when it comes to our precious wildlife.
On Sunday, 15 January we received a call from Bribie Island Coastguard asking for our help in rescuing a large sea turtle that was in distress in the ocean, floating a few kilometres out from the tip of Bribie Island. They had been frantically trying to get help for it for more than four hours after they had spotted the turtle trying desperately to dive but unable to do so; phone and radio calls were going everywhere. Finally, Air-Sea Rescue overheard one of their radio messages and phoned in suggesting they call the wildlife hospital at Steve Irwin’s zoo because they had a “sea turtle hospital”.
Marie, the coastguard officer on duty, was desperate by the time she got through to the Australian Wildlife Hospital and seemed relieved that the problem would finally be solved.
Staff at the Hospital phoned the boat that had spotted the turtle to try and work out exactly where it was; Kevin Doughty, the boat’s owner, had by this time been moored beside the turtle for more than four hours waiting for someone to respond to his call. The beautiful turtle was very distressed, but luckily she had someone with her the entire time to monitor her situation.
With direction from our Hospital staff, Kevin agreed to tow the turtle to the boat ramp on Bribie Island – a feat that took over two hours. After tying the turtle to the side of his boat, Kevin proceeded to shore at a very slow pace – stopping every few minutes to allow the turtle to take a breath. In the meantime, Australian Wildlife Hospital staff put together a team and sent two vehicles to meet the boat; at this point, all we knew was that it was the biggest turtle Kevin had ever seen!
A couple of hours later, our team arrived back at the Australian Wildlife Hospital with the turtle – and yes, she was the biggest turtle we had ever seen as well! With a great deal of effort from the six people it took to lift her, the turtle was assessed and placed in our turtle pool. She weighs an incredible 200 kilograms, with a shell length of 1.3 metres!
She is truly an amazing, gentle animal, and we are so pleased to be able to help her and hopefully soon return her to the wild. We estimate that she is in excess of 100 years old – how incredible is that? We have named this beautiful girl Diane Sawyer, in honour of the respected American journalist. We hear that Diane has a genuine love for turtles… and who can blame her?
Now on medication and a diet of sea grass, squid and other ocean vegetation, Diane Sawyer is improving every day. As for the slightly smaller turtles with whom she shares her pool… well, they’ve learned very quickly to stay out of her way! Click here for more details.
Update: 30 January 2006
We are very sorry to report that Diane Sawyer, the beautiful old Green Sea Turtle, lost her battle for life over the weekend. This magnificent creature had been unable to submerge herself, eat or digest since she was rescued at sea some two weeks ago. The 24-hour care and multiple treatments managed to maintain her for some time, and we were always hopeful that she could overcome her illness. However, she recently took a turn for the worse, and after almost eight hours on the operating table Diane passed away – peacefully and without pain.
She was a great fighter and had a beautiful nature, but a combination of infection and old age finally took its toll.
Our thanks go out to her rescuers Kevin, Robyn and Andrew and the Bribie Island Coastguard for their effort, and also to ABC in America... and in particular the real Diane Sawyer, who took such kind interest in her.
One life leaves – and another one arrives.
After Diane Sawyer's passing there was little time to console our team as a new Green Sea Turtle arrived. Pebble, a young turtle who is around five years of age was brought in – suffering a similar illness to Diane Sawyer. Our efforts are now focused on giving this little one a second chance.
Source: www.wildlifewarriors.org.au
The face of nature reflects all of life's ups and downs. |
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