Yoshi the loggerhead turtle and the big swim

Eileen van der Schyff

Yoshi, the loggerhead turtle that was released from Cape Town’s Two Oceans Aquarium in 2017, now holds the record for the longest journey of a tracked animal after swimming to Namibian and Angolan waters before turning around and swimming all the way to Australia.

Yoshi, in a media statement of the Aquarium got the status of an international celebrity after travelling more than 37 000 km to reach Australia. “This cold-blooded reptile has outdone the journey of any marine animal,” The statement reads.
The loggerhead swam from Cape Town all along the South West African coast-line. Her satellite tracking path shows she passed off Namibia and made a few turns in the waters around Walvis Bay where she then swam towards Southern Angola, turned around and swam all the way back to Cape Town and then she darted straight through the Indian Ocean towards Australia. The turtle is currently just off the Pilbara coast near Point Samson. Yoshi is now protected under Australian law which promotes turtle protection.

To read more: pick up your copy of the Namib Times at any retail outlet in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. Available in Windhoek at selected stores, at Arandis (Shoprite and Arandis Service Station); Usakos; Henties Bay (Spar; Woermann Brock) and Windhoek (Windhoek: Shoprite Maerua Mall; Shoprite Katutura; Shoprite Ind. Av; Shoprite Lafrenz Industrial; Shoprite Okurayangava; Shoprite U-Save; Fountain OK Foods (Baines); Maerua Superspar).