Spar Western Cape and Namibia stores adopt turtle hatchlings, support conservation efforts

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Every year the Foundation’s Turtle Conservation Centre based at the Two Oceans Aquarium receives dozens of stranded loggerhead turtle hatchlings that have washed ashore along our coastline in dire need of support and rehabilitation.

The adoption funds play a vital role in supporting the operational costs of the Centre and the ongoing care of these turtles.

The adoption allowed the Spar store owners naming rights of their hatchlings. At a handover ceremony, each received a certificate of adoption with a photo and the rescue and health details of 'their' hatchling.

No one else can adopt the hatchling, and the Foundation will update the sponsors monthly with details about their ‘baby’ turtle – its size and weight, as well as videos and pictures of the hatchlings until they are returned to their ocean home.

Elsabe van Zyl–Felix, sponsorship and events manager for Spar Western Cape and Namibia, was very excited to be part of the initiative.

“At Spar, we are family and community driven, so it’s wonderful to be part of the Aquarium Foundation’s Turtle Conservation Centre through this ‘Adopt a Turtle’ initiative. They do amazing work for our city and its communities, educating and looking after the conservation of our threatened sea turtle species.”

“All species of sea turtles are threatened, so efforts to rehabilitate every single one of the stranded turtles rescued by members of the public and brought to us is critical to their survival. With the support of the Spar retailers, the team at our Turtle Conservation Centre is able to give the 12 rescued hatchlings a second chance at life in the ocean,” said Ronnis Daniels, stakeholder and company engagement manager, Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation.

All the Spar adoptive ‘parents’ are unanimous in the hope that their ‘babies’ are successfully rehabilitated and safely released back to their natural habitat. In the interests of conservation, they and their children will keenly follow the turtle rehabilitation journey.