Over 500 baby sea turtles washed ashore in a big storm off South Africa. Here’s the rescue effort

By GERALD IMRAY
Associated Press

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A South African aquarium is stretched beyond capacity after more than 500 baby sea turtles were washed up on beaches by a rare and powerful storm and rescued by members of the public. The little turtles are mostly endangered loggerheads. They will spend the first few months of their lives in newly built plastic tanks at the Turtle Conservation Center at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town. The center has a normal capacity of 150 turtles. Turtles are vulnerable to extreme weather and climate change. But the storm has given conservationists a valuable insight into another increasingly common danger: plastic pollution.