Wildlife officers have today conducted a site inspection of a rehabilitation centre on Quoin Island near Gladstone to assess the health of 11 turtles amid concerns around the centre's operation.
The officers, along with other agencies, attended the facility to investigate reports of potential breaches of the facility's responsibilities, animal welfare, and to ensure veterinary standards comply with relevant legislation and codes of practice.
An independent veterinarian assessed the turtles at the Quoin Island facility to determine their health and viability and whilst initial indications are that the turtles remain healthy, changes will need to be made to the way the centre operates.
The vet will also provide the requirements for the future care of the turtles, and a plan to eventually release any healthy animals back into the wild.
The veterinarian will continue their assessment throughout the course of the day and provide a report to the department by next week.
The wellbeing of wildlife and ensuring those caring for wildlife are doing the right thing is the department's top priority.
DES is conducting this operation jointly with Queensland Health, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Queensland.
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