Scott (left) and a staff carrying Covid into the sea. KOTA KINABALU (Aug 31): Guests at Gaya Island Resort were treated to a special sight when two endangered Green sea turtles, rehabilitated back to health, were released into the open sea in celebration of Merdeka Day. The turtles, named Covid and Barbara, were set free from the island’s Malohom Beach by conservationists from the resort’s Marine Centre, while tourists and guests watched them swim into their natural habitat.
Scott Mayback, the resident biologist at the Marine Centre, shared that both turtles had faced significant challenges but were nursed back to health through dedicated and constant care by the team. Covid was discovered floating near a water village at Pulau Gaya in March 2020 and was brought to the Marine Centre. “He had a severely damaged carapace, extreme weakness, and malnourishment.
Through years of medication, numerous surgeries, and therapies such as buoyancy syndrome therapy, Covid made an impressive recovery,” Mayback said. Barbara, he said, was rescued in March 2023 at Sabah’s east coast Mabul Island and brought to the centre for rehabilitation. Although her symptoms were similar to Covid’s, they were not as severe, and she received the same treatment.
“We have seen remarkable transformations in both Covid and Barbara. After showing significant improvement in buoyancy, they were transferred to a man-made sea cage where they could re-experience living in the sea. These beautiful sea creatures were finally ready to return to the ocean where they belong,” Mayback added.
Covid was fitted with a satellite tracker to monitor his progress and gather data for future rescues. When asked about the centre’s success in rehabilitating turtles, Mayback mentioned: “Excluding Covid, we’ve successfully released 10 turtles over the past 10 to 11 years. In total, we have handled 32 turtles, including the latest arrival, which was also rescued here after being hit by a boat,” he said.
He noted that boat accidents account for nearly half of the turtle injuries they encounter, with the remainder typically involving internal injuries, often due to foreign objects, infections, or a combination of both..
