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Posted: Thursday, July 14th, 2011 4:21 PM HST

UH-Hilo Students and Professors Rescue Endangered Sea Turtle

By Ka'ohu James - 67AM KPUA News

On Wednesday, June 29th University Of Hawaii at Hilo students enrolled in the Marine Science(MARE) Summer Program were treated to a rare hands on learning experience as they witnessed the real life rescue of an endangered sea turtle at Punalu’u. The students and Professors Dr. Jason and Jennifer Turner, plus MARE staff John Coney and Jill Grotkin and with George Balaz of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations, Marine Turtle Research Program were dispatched to a report of a green sea turtle in distress in a freshwater pond at the site of the old Punalu’u Village Restaurant. When they arrived they were able to identify the turtle in trouble as a critically endangered female Hawksbill sea turtle who inadvertantly crawled into and became stuck in the freshwater pond. It wasn’t until students and researchers managed to restrain the animal and place it on a scale that they understood the extent of their discovery. At 309-pounds, the female Hawksbill was the largest ever recorded. The animal was examined for injuries, measured, tagged and then released into the ocean as visitors and beach-goers looked on and erupted into applause. How she ended up in the freshwater pond remains an open question. Balazs believes the animal may have entered the pond during the March tsunami and remained there until her rescue. There are also reports that she crawled into the pond sometime this summer after attempting to nest on Punalu`u beach, where a nesting turtle had been reported by the public weeks earlier. What is certain is that for everyone involved, the rescue of a rare Hawaiian Hawksbill turtle was an educational experience they won’t soon forget and one that left quite an impression on the students. “Awesome,” said one student when asked how it felt to be involved in the rescue. “I’m seriously thinking of transferring here.”