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On April 24, Marko Srečec from Bale, while diving in the area of the outer side of the Brijuni Islands National Park, noticed 22 loggerhead turtles of various sizes with the visible presence of barnacles on their shells. Two of the turtles were less mobile, so he collected them and handed them over to our recovery center.
The reduced mobility of the turtles indicates exhaustion syndrome, in which the shell becomes a suitable substrate for the settlement of barnacles (Cirripediae), also known as barnacles. Larger clusters of these crustaceans make it difficult for the turtles to move, increasing resistance when swimming, and can also cause irritation and skin damage.
Mare and Kate, as the divers who found them called them, have undergone a veterinary examination. Kate is 44 cm long, 38 cm wide and weighs 11 kg, while Mare is 27 cm long, 24.5 cm wide and weighs about 2.5 kg.
During the examination, in addition to taking measures, their oral cavity was checked, the barnacles were removed, and their shells were cleaned. Both individuals are still exhausted, but reactive and in stable general condition. In the coming days, further monitoring and therapy will be carried out as needed, in order to enable them to recover as successfully as possible and return to their natural habitat.
