current events week 5 Turtle Recovery at Kelly Tarlton

Turtle washes up on 90 mile beac

May 23, 2017

A critically endangered hawksbill turtle is being nursed back to health after being found washed up on Northland’s 90 Mile Beach earlier this month.

It was exhausted, dehydrated, not eating and missing a flipper. While the cause of the amputated flipper was not known, it appeared to be an older wound that had healed well.

Auckland Zoo provided initial urgent medical attention before the turtle was taken to the Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life rehabilitation centre.

Auckland Zoo resident vet Lydia Uddstrom said the turtle had eaten at least one piece of plastic, and it was unclear how much more it might have inside it.

Plastic was an ongoing concern for marine animals, she said.

“We’re getting more and more plastic out there and we’re going to be getting more and more effects from it, and from animals that shouldn’t be eating it, eating it.”

The turtle was showing encouraging signs of improvement after its check-up today.

Once the turtle’s strength had improved, it would be moved to a larger oceanarium to exercise and go about its natural behaviour with the goal of releasing it back into the wild.

Yesterday was World Turtle Day, which aims to increase attention and public support for their survival.

Who: Hawksbill Turtle, Auckland Zoo resident vet Lydia Uddstrom,  Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life rehabilitation centre.

Where: Northland’s 90 Mile Beach

When: Earlier this month

Why: It was found washed up on the shore. 

What happened: A critically endangered hawksbill turtle is being nursed back to health after being found washed up on Northland’s 90 Mile Beach earlier this month. It was exhausted, dehydrated, not eating and missing a flipper. The turtle had eaten at least one piece of plastic, and it was unclear how much more it might have inside it.

My opinion: 

I think it will eat more plastic- Micah.

I think it is sad that people throw plastic into the sea- Makayla

I think a fisherman cut off its flipper- Drew

I think it's good that they are making him healthier and stronger- Charlotte

I wonder how old it is? Caleb

I wonder if it will go back to the wild? Drew

Current Events

Current Events

Pacific Island covered in plastic

May 18, 2017

Scientists have discovered what they say is the worst case of plastic pollution in the world.

They found nearly 38 million items of plastic debris on Henderson Island in the South Pacific – carried there on ocean currents.

The uninhabited island, which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the largest of the four Pitcairn Islands.

Australian researcher Jennifer Lavers said the island had the highest density of plastic rubbish anywhere in the world.

The team calculated there were 671.6 items per square metre on the surface of the beaches, with approximately 68 percent of debris buried less than 10 centimetres in the sand.

Each day, 17 to 268 new items washed up on a 10-metre section of North Beach.

She said the finding was a wake-up call to the world that plastic pollution was as grave a threat to humanity as climate change.

Annual production of plastic has increased from 1.7m tonnes in 1954 to 311m tonnes in 2014.

This has resulted in an estimated five trillion plastic items – mostly less than five millimetres in size – circulating in the surface layer of the world’s oceans.

1. Who is the main person or group of people in this news article? Australian researcher Jennifer Lavers 

2. What was the key event from the news article? Scientists have discovered what they say is the worst case of plastic pollution in the world. They found nearly 38 million items of plastic debris on Henderson Island in the South Pacific – carried there on ocean currents.

3. Where did this event take place? Henderson Island in the South Pacific

4. When did this event take place? May 2017

I think

I wonder

Auckland could get schools without fields

May 14, 2017

Education Minister, Nikki Kaye, announced a new model of school for urban areas such as Auckland.

These inner city schools would lease (rent) land and rely on council parks rather than their own green spaces.

The ‘metro schools’ idea has come about as the large areas of land associated with a traditional school could be hard or expensive to acquire.

They could be located on compact site and use council parks and gyms rather than owning their own, Nikki Kaye said.

The schools could make full use of the extra opportunities available in the middle of cities, such as access to museums and libraries, she said.

current events week 2

Plastic eating caterpillar could eat through waste

May 2, 2017

A caterpillar that munches on plastic bags could hold the key to tackling plastic pollution, scientists say.

Researchers at Cambridge University have discovered that the larvae of the moth, which eats wax in bee hives, can also degrade plastic.

Experiments show the insect can break down the chemical bonds of plastic in a similar way to digesting beeswax.

Each year, about 80 million tonnes of the plastic polyethylene are produced around the world.
The plastic is used to make shopping bags and food packaging, among other things, but it can take hundreds of years to decompose completely.

However, caterpillars of the moth (Galleria mellonella) can make holes in a plastic bag in under an hour.

1. Who is the main person or group of people in this news article?

2. What was the key event from the news article?

3. Where did this event take place?

4. When did this event take place?

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