Look: Dubai saves 21 sick and injured turtles, releases them into sea

As volunteers counted down the time, more than 50 people, including children as young as 4, gathered at the Jumeirah Al Naseem beach to release 21 turtles into the ocean. These turtles that included 15 Hawksbill and 6 Green Turtles – both of which are considered endangered species – had been found sick or injured from various parts of the UAE and had been nursed back to health at the Jumeirah Group’s Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project (DTRP).

One of the turtles, Zippy was rescued by DTRP in October 2022, after being found floating near the Ras Al Khaimah shoreline. He was suffering from intestine impaction from eating plastic debris, a severe lung infection and was completely covered in barnacles. He has been fitted with a satellite tracker that will help the project learn more about his navigation and feeding patterns.

The event, held on Friday, observed World Sea Turtle Day and highlighted how these marine animals play a vital role in maintaining the balance of marine habitats.

Leading the activities at the event were DTRP Project Ambassador Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Bin Khalid Al Qasimi and Barbara Lang-Lenton Arrizabalaga, Director of Aquarium at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah.

Years of Work

Started in 2004, DTRP has since found, nursed and released back more 2000 turtles.

According to Barbara, their diligent work has reaped several benefits. “We once had a turtle going all the way to Thailand,” she said. “She covered more than 8000km in less than nine months. At the time, it was the longest for a green turtle ever recorded. The work we do does not have borders. Sea turtles migrate, as you can see, very long distances and so whatever we do here is going to have a huge impact on turtle population all over the world.”

Currently six out of the seven species of sea turtles are threatened with extinction and Barbara says there are several reasons for it. “In the last 200 years because of human activities, we have caused over 80% decline in the turtle population,” she said. “Then there is also the issue of ocean pollution. So ingestion of plastic debris, entanglement and boat strikes. Another problem is the physical destruction of their feeding habitats and their nesting beaches. A lot of the animals we receive are also just sick rather than injured. Especially, the young hawksbills, when they are born in this part of the world and when they hit their first winter, they become lethargic and they are usually covered in a lot of barnacles.”

Rescuing turtles

Most of the injured turtles are found by residents from beaches around the country. Colombian national Juan Diego works with the Fujairah Research Centre and said he has rescued four turtles this year alone. “When people call us, we guide them to give immediate first aid to the turtle before collecting and transporting them to the turtle rehabilitation center at Jumeirah Naseem,” he said.

Barbara said that people finding sick or injured turtles must keep some tips in mind.

• Meet Emirati conservationist committed to making positive impact on biodiversity