- Environmental Conservation ·
Emergency Rescue: Saving Endangered Turtles
Help us fund the $2,000 rehabilitation cost for every turtle that is washed up on the beach after eating plastic we put in their ocean
- South Africa
- hello@actionchange.org
![Turtles[1]](https://thegvitrust.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Turtles1.jpg)
Project Summary
Project Challenge
Project Solution
Impact
Reports
Project Summary
Our project rescues, rehabilitates and releases stranded and distressed sea turtles as part of our conservation mission. With the support of organisations and volunteers along the Western Cape’s coast, hundreds of sea turtles have been saved, reared to full strength and released back into the wild. Loggerhead and leatherback turtles nest on the coast and are common patients of our clinic, we regularly rehabilitate stranded green, olive ridley and hawksbill sea turtles that wash up on our shores.
Project Challenge
Many people see a turtle washed up on the beach and to try and help look to return it to the Ocean. This is the wrong thing to do, our emergency rescue team are dispatched regularly to collect washed up turtles and if they are on the beach then they are sick and need help. This project helps fund the rescue of turtles as well as the many months or even years sometimes of rehabilitation and medical support needed to return the turtle home. This team and medical costs are 100% funded by donations
With a polluted ocean, the increase in turtles that need rescuing and access to rehabilitation is constantly increasing. Our team provide the outreach and awareness within the community to ensure people know not to put a Turtle in the Ocean if washed up as they will not survive. Instead, we fund a local emergency team to rescue these beautiful animals that often find themselves tied up in a fishing line or eaten plastic and struggling to survive.
Project Solution
Our team of experts are on hand to rescue turtles that wash up in need on the African coast. This is often a majority of loggerheads and leatherbacks but our clinic has welcomed stranded green, olive ridley and hawksbill sea turtles that have washed up and in need on the African coast. After rehabilitation our clinic’s mission is to reintroduce the turtles back into the ocean
Impact
This project is rescuing and rehabilitating turtles to prevent them from dying due to pollution in the ocean. The long term goal is to ensure these turtles to not become endangered. Check out our latest release in partnership with the Coast Guard Rescue and Local Aquarium. Yoshi was released and we tracked him all the way back to Australia and more recently we released Yoshi. Check out our resources to see their story.
Reports
Project Report | Mar 9, 2026
Did You Know About Loggerheads Turtles
By Tyrone Bennett | CEO of Action Change
To our dedicated Ocean Guardians,
I wanted to share an update on a project that is literally fighting for the survival of the next generation of our oceans. As we celebrate 20 years of Action Change, our work with Loggerhead sea turtles off the South African coastline is reaching a critical point.
First, let’s talk about these incredible creatures. Loggerheads are nature’s engineers. Named for their oversized heads and powerful jaws, they are perfectly built to crush heavy-shelled prey like crabs and sea urchins. They are also world-class travelers; hatchlings born on our northern beaches enter the powerful Agulhas Current, beginning a massive journey that spans oceans. But this journey has become increasingly dangerous.
The Rising Crisis As we head into the peak of the season, we are seeing a worrying trend. Every year, more hatchlings are washing up on the Western Cape beaches, exhausted and sick. Last year alone, we rescued over 250 of them. Why? Because the ocean they enter is now filled with plastic, which they mistake for food, and “ghost gear” discarded fishing nets that can trap them, preventing them from surfacing to breathe.
If you find a hatchling washed up, please know this: never put it back in the ocean. These little fighters are often suffering from dehydration, exhaustion, or internal blockages from plastic. If they go back into the water in that state, they won’t survive. They need professional help.
Our Action Plan
Right now, our team is in full “rescue mode”:
Outreach: We are patrolling the coastline, installing awareness signs, and sharing emergency contact numbers so locals know exactly what to do when they find a stranded turtle.
Turtle Ambassadors: We have a network of volunteers along the coast who respond instantly to reports, getting these turtles to our hospital as quickly as possible.
Rehab & Release: Once in our care, they undergo treatment—including complex diagnostics like MRIs—to clear blockages and heal. After about six months of care, we release them back into the wild, equipped with satellite trackers.
Why We Track Them
Those trackers aren’t just for show. By collecting data on where these turtles go, we are contributing to a global scientific effort to protect their migratory paths and understand their survival rates.
This is where we need your help. This is our most expensive program because it is 100% funded by your donations. Between the specialized vet care, the long-term rehabilitation, and the satellite tracking technology, every single dollar is working overtime.
Let’s make sure that these 250+ hatchlings have a fighting chance to grow up and return to the ocean where they belong.
Thank you for 20 years of standing with us and for being the lifeline these turtles so desperately need!
_______________________________________________________
Oct 24, 2025
Saving turtles
By shayle Havemann | Project leader
With the support of organisations and volunteers along the Western Cape’s coast, hundreds of sea turtles have been saved, reared to full strength and released back into the wild. Loggerhead and leatherback turtles nest on the coast and are common patients of our clinic, we regularly rehabilitate stranded green, olive ridley and hawksbill sea turtles that wash up on our shores. Our team of experts are on hand to rescue turtles that wash up in need on the African coast. This is often a majority of loggerheads and leatherbacks but our clinic has welcomed stranded green, olive ridley and hawksbill sea turtles that have washed up and in need on the African coast. After rehabilitation our clinic’s mission is to reintroduce the turtles back into the ocean.Our project rescues, rehabilitates and releases stranded and distressed sea turtles as part of our conservation mission. With the support of organisations and volunteers along the Western Cape’s coast, hundreds of sea turtles have been saved, reared to full strength and released back into the wild. Loggerhead and leatherback turtles nest on the coast and are common patients of our clinic, we regularly rehabilitate stranded green, olive ridley and hawksbill sea turtles that wash up on our shores.
Many people see a turtle washed up on the beach and to try and help look to return it to the Ocean. This is the wrong thing to do, our emergency rescue team are dispatched regularly to collect washed up turtles and if they are on the beach then they are sick and need help. This project helps fund the rescue of turtles as well as the many months or even years sometimes of rehabilitation and medical support needed to return the turtle home. This team and medical costs are 100% funded by donations
With a polluted ocean, the increase in turtles that need rescuing and access to rehabilitation is constantly increasing. Our team provide the outreach and awareness within the community to ensure people know not to put a Turtle in the Ocean if washed up as they will not survive. Instead, we fund a local emergency team to rescue these beautiful animals that often find themselves tied up in a fishing line or eaten plastic and struggling to survive.
Our team of experts are on hand to rescue turtles that wash up in need on the African coast. This is often a majority of loggerheads and leatherbacks but our clinic has welcomed stranded green, olive ridley and hawksbill sea turtles that have washed up and in need on the African coast. After rehabilitation our clinic’s mission is to reintroduce the turtles back into the ocean
This project is rescuing and rehabilitating turtles to prevent them from dying due to pollution in the ocean. The long term goal is to ensure these turtles to not become endangered. Check out our latest release in partnership with the Coast Guard Rescue and Local Aquarium. Yoshi was released and we tracked him all the way back to Australia and more recently we released Yoshi. Check out our resources to see their story.
Project Report | Mar 9, 2026
Did You Know About Loggerheads Turtles
By Tyrone Bennett | CEO of Action Change
To our dedicated Ocean Guardians,
I wanted to share an update on a project that is literally fighting for the survival of the next generation of our oceans. As we celebrate 20 years of Action Change, our work with Loggerhead sea turtles off the South African coastline is reaching a critical point.
First, let’s talk about these incredible creatures. Loggerheads are nature’s engineers. Named for their oversized heads and powerful jaws, they are perfectly built to crush heavy-shelled prey like crabs and sea urchins. They are also world-class travelers; hatchlings born on our northern beaches enter the powerful Agulhas Current, beginning a massive journey that spans oceans. But this journey has become increasingly dangerous.
The Rising Crisis As we head into the peak of the season, we are seeing a worrying trend. Every year, more hatchlings are washing up on the Western Cape beaches, exhausted and sick. Last year alone, we rescued over 250 of them. Why? Because the ocean they enter is now filled with plastic, which they mistake for food, and “ghost gear” discarded fishing nets that can trap them, preventing them from surfacing to breathe.
If you find a hatchling washed up, please know this: never put it back in the ocean. These little fighters are often suffering from dehydration, exhaustion, or internal blockages from plastic. If they go back into the water in that state, they won’t survive. They need professional help.
Our Action Plan
Right now, our team is in full “rescue mode”:
Outreach: We are patrolling the coastline, installing awareness signs, and sharing emergency contact numbers so locals know exactly what to do when they find a stranded turtle.
Turtle Ambassadors: We have a network of volunteers along the coast who respond instantly to reports, getting these turtles to our hospital as quickly as possible.
Rehab & Release: Once in our care, they undergo treatment—including complex diagnostics like MRIs—to clear blockages and heal. After about six months of care, we release them back into the wild, equipped with satellite trackers.
Why We Track Them
Those trackers aren’t just for show. By collecting data on where these turtles go, we are contributing to a global scientific effort to protect their migratory paths and understand their survival rates.
This is where we need your help. This is our most expensive program because it is 100% funded by your donations. Between the specialized vet care, the long-term rehabilitation, and the satellite tracking technology, every single dollar is working overtime.
Let’s make sure that these 250+ hatchlings have a fighting chance to grow up and return to the ocean where they belong.
Thank you for 20 years of standing with us and for being the lifeline these turtles so desperately need!
_______________________________________________________
Oct 24, 2025
Saving turtles
By shayle Havemann | Project leader
With the support of organisations and volunteers along the Western Cape’s coast, hundreds of sea turtles have been saved, reared to full strength and released back into the wild. Loggerhead and leatherback turtles nest on the coast and are common patients of our clinic, we regularly rehabilitate stranded green, olive ridley and hawksbill sea turtles that wash up on our shores. Our team of experts are on hand to rescue turtles that wash up in need on the African coast. This is often a majority of loggerheads and leatherbacks but our clinic has welcomed stranded green, olive ridley and hawksbill sea turtles that have washed up and in need on the African coast. After rehabilitation our clinic’s mission is to reintroduce the turtles back into the ocean.
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