Rescued Sea Turtle Weighing 120kg Finds New Home at Sydney Aquarium

A rescued Australian Green Sea Turtle weighing 120kg was recently transferred to her new home at the SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium.

Footage of the turtle, Plugga, shows her journey from the Dolphin Marine Conservation Park in Coffs Harbour to her new reef habitat in Sydney.

The Aquarium wrote in a press release: “The beautiful 75 cm-long [about 30 inches] endangered turtle swam into the day and night on the Reef Zone, inspired by the Great Barrier Reef, after a 534 km, six-hour journey from Coffs Harbour with Sea Life Sydney Aquarium’s attentive aquarists.”

Robbie McCracken, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium’s Assistant Curator, said: “Plugga was calm throughout her travels and regular checks were conducted on her throughout the journey to ensure a healthy transfer. She’s already mingling with her new mates and making new friends. I think she’s already quite happy here.”

Plugga was first rescued because she had lost most of her rear left flipper. The aquarium says because of this injury, the turtle was unlikely to have been able to survive in the wild.

According to Dolphin Marine Conservation Park’s website, when Plugga came into the park’s care in the 1990s, she was only the size of a fifty cent coin. Credit: SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium via Storyful