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TURTLE TIME AT SEAQUARIUM

This Bank Holiday weekend is Turtle Awareness Weekend at SeaQuarium Rhyl. 

Staff at the Centre is dedicating the whole weekend to raising awareness of the problems suffered by turtles worldwide. There will be special talks and feeding demonstrations taking place throughout the entire Bank Holiday. 

One of the main problems facing sea turtles is pollution of the environment. Plastic bags are a big danger as sea turtles see these as jellyfish, which is a food source for them. Fooled by the appearance of the plastic bag, the turtles unwittingly eat them; the bag gets trapped in their digestive system and eventually kills the turtle. Six of the seven sea turtle species are currently listed as endangered on the IUCN list and the main cause of this is human interactions and habitat destruction. 

Zoe Kelly, Display’s Manager, said, “We don’t house any sea turtles but we do have their close relatives, terrapins. Terrapins live in freshwater and as they are cold blooded they need a specialist basking area with heat lamps so they can bask in the warmth. The three species we keep are Red Eared Terrapins, Yellow belly terrapins and European pond turtles”. 

Zoe continued, “Red Eared Terrapins can live to be around 30 years old and can reach 40cm in length. They lay their eggs in the sand, which then hatch 60 to 80 days after being laid. They are very inquisitive animals and are very good climbers”.

In support of turtle awareness, SeaQuarium Rhyl will be scheduling additional talks and feeding demonstrations in the freshwater/terrapin area to highlight the problems faced by turtle species worldwide. Visitors can learn more about the terrapins at the Centre and at selected times visitors can watch them being fed. 

All of SeaQuarium exhibits will be open as usual throughout the Bank Holiday weekend. Standard admission prices are £9.50 for adults and £8.50 for children. There will be talks and demonstrations throughout the day where visitors can learn more about the weird and wonderful creatures that live in the oceans and beyond. 

Rhyl SeaQuarium is located on the promenade in Rhyl and opens at 10am daily with last admissions at 5pm.