Rescuing a Leatherback Sea Turtle - Tadum Wartu Turanggal
- Uncle Ken
- Mar 18
- 2 min read
Updated: May 28
The strength of Uncle Ken Jones' connection to Country and all its creatures is never more evident than in his deep care for marine life, especially endangered species like the Leatherback Sea Turtle (known in Bunganditj as Tadum Wartu Turanggal). His childhood and adulthood spent fishing and crayfishing off the coast has granted him more than knowledge, it’s granted him a responsibility to act as a guardian of the sea and storyteller of survival.
In the late 1960s, while crayfishing with his father near the continental shelf off the South East coast, Uncle Ken encountered a giant leatherback turtle tangled in hundreds of metres of lost nylon rope. The massive creature weighing nearly a ton was hopelessly bound and being dragged down into the swell.
Too dangerous to attempt a rescue at sea, they made a decision: they would bring her back to shore. Hauling the turtle carefully to the stern of the boat, they began the two-hour trip back to Port MacDonnell. Periodically, they stopped to let her breathe and splash, ensuring she stayed alive despite the weight of her bindings.
Over 100 beachgoers gathered to assist in cutting away ropes, pouring buckets of water to cool her massive body, and gently flipping her to remove the final tangles. After an hour of community care and coordination, she was finally freed and with powerful strokes, she returned to the deep.
This moment, now etched in Uncle Ken’s memory, is more than a nostalgic story. It’s a call to action. The Leatherback, with its prehistoric shell and peaceful jellyfish diet, is critically endangered. These turtles mistake plastic bags for food, fall victim to trawling lines, and suffer from warming oceans.
Ken’s story is a reminder of the ripple effect of human impact, and the power of community to intervene with care.
Today, Uncle Ken continues to honour Tadum Wartu Turanggal by sharing the turtle’s story with students, scientists, and those walking the coast with him. He teaches not just the species’ biology, but its cultural and spiritual importance to Boandik people linking language, lore, and land to conservation.
From hunting jellyfish in the Bonney Upwelling to the cold Southern Ocean sightings, the leatherback is more than a turtle, it’s a totem of survival, and of the ongoing responsibility we share to protect Country.
Listen to the full story below.
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