Glencore has continued its support of James Cook University’s (JCU) research into the endangered loggerhead turtle as it enters its third and final year.
The major has provided $150,000 over the past three years towards the research, helping to fund programs around the world to reduce the mortality rates of the turtles.
As part of the program, turtles are housed at the research centre for two years to study their behaviour and interaction with the environment. JCU Turtle Health Research Centre director Mark Hamann said the turtles’ growth rates are on track, with the largest turtle know weighing 10kg.
Image: Matt Curnock
“We recently began the latest upgrade to the research centre to allow each turtle to have more space to roam,” he said.
“We have completed two trials on enrichment which showed the turtles using a variety of submerged objects to scratch themselves, hide, or bask on, all of which are preparing us for upcoming husbandry and their lives in the ocean after release.”
Glencore refinery and port operations manager at Townsville Paul Taylor said Glencore recognises the importance of supporting a range of initiatives within its communities.
“We are proud to support this important research which aims to find ways to protect the turtles in the wild during their vulnerable young years,” Taylor said.
Once the turtles are big enough, they will be fitted with satellite tracking devices and released into the wild, allowing researchers to follow their movements through the ocean.
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