Bob the green turtle was brought to us in November 2014 for rehabilitation. Bob was very badly injured and during the rehabilitation process, he also pooped out a bunch of plastic and balloons. Read all about his journey here.
During National Marine Week, the Two Oceans Aquarium focused on raising awareness of our six environmental campaigns. As part of this awareness drive, a photo of the plastic and balloons that came out of Bob was circulated on social media. The response would be best described as overwhelming.
Check out what came out of Bob, one of our turtles in rehab. Yup, those are balloons! #MyOceanPromise #MarineWeek pic.twitter.com/QNFE4xfkGP
— Two Oceans Aquarium (@2OceansAquarium) October 13, 2015
Our picture was tweeted and retweeted by individuals and organisations around the world, notably the Blue Planet Society.
These #balloons came out of Bob, a sea turtle currently undergoing rehab at @2OceansAquarium Cape Town, #SouthAfrica. pic.twitter.com/tEJJwFc5WG
— Blue Planet Society (@Seasaver) October 14, 2015
Within a day Bob’s story had touched thousands upon thousands of people - we're still determining the reach!
Today, when you throw that wrapper on the curb, think about Bob the turtle. https://t.co/t711kPgzjv
— Jaminya (@Jaminya) October 16, 2015
@Seasaver @2OceansAquarium Horrifying. All these animals at risk because of humanity's irresponsible attitude towards the environment.
— Two Birds, One Stone (@NoMiSkye) October 18, 2015
Really hope Bob the turtle is okay now after having those balloons removed #goodluckbob https://t.co/jDCOkVSss7
— Mr Skylord (@mr_skylord) October 14, 2015
Many people wanted to know how Bob is doing after his ordeal. We made a short video to show the progress. (Spoiler alert: Bob is doing very well!)
Thank you to everyone who has shown concern or spread the word about balloons and plastic in general, and the threat they pose to our environment and the animals in the wild.
Should you wish to contribute to the Two Oceans Aquarium's conservation work, you can make a donation here.
