Police have come to the rescue of an overturned turtle on Sweers Island.
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On Saturday, June 13, Senior Constable David Shead, Senior Constable Andrew Chee and Constable Lee Ernst were deployed to Ringurring (Sweers Island) in the gulf for COVID-19 bio security.
While on patrol on, they encountered an adult male green turtle that was having what police described as "one shell of a bad day" as he was stranded on his back and appeared dead.
Upon closer inspection, they discovered that the turtle was alive.
Senior Constable Shead said he flipped the turtle over and assisted the turtle back into the water, where it appeared his female friend was waiting for him.
"We were expecting the worst when we approached him, but found him alive and in very good condition, he just needed some help getting back on his feet," Senior Constable Shead said.
"We flipped him over and assisted him back into the water where his mate was patiently waiting for him."
The Department of Environment and Science said that this time of the year around Sweers Island is courtship time.
Unfortunately, when green turtles are mating in the shallows, wave action can cause the male to be flipped off the female and onto its back.
The actions of Senior Constable Shead, Senior Constable Chee and Constable Ernst could have saved the turtle's life, as they can't easily flip back over and can dehydrate on land.