21 turtles were released into the Arabian Gulf after rehabilitation

In conjunction with Jumeirah Group’s Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Program and the celebration of World Sea Turtle Day, 15 hawksbill turtles and six endangered green turtles were released into their natural habitat in the waters of the Arabian Gulf, off the beach of a hotel. “Jumeirah Al Naseem” affirms Dubai’s commitment to protect and preserve the environment for future generations, and is a step that reflects awareness of the importance of these species and their vital role in the balance of marine habitats. The initiative comes from the “Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project” in light of the emirate’s keen interest in saving endangered species of turtles, including hawksbill turtles that annually nest on this coast of the Arabian Gulf. On the brink of extinction. Turtles successfully rehabilitated by the project include a male hawksbill turtle rescued by the project in October 2022 and a female giant green turtle injured in a boat collision. Report sightings of plastic waste dumping on the beaches of Ras Al Khaimah to the toll-free number TURTLE 800.

The turtle launch was attended by key stakeholders from government, academia and non-governmental organizations and representatives from the Yas SeaWorld Research and Rescue Center who performed a CT scan of the hawksbill turtle at the start of its rehabilitation journey.

Barbara Long-Lindon, director of fisheries at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, said: “Because there are so few turtles, we need to help them protect their species from extinction, so we try to release adult sea turtles once they have recovered and rehabilitated. We have released a group of turtles this season, many of which have already been released. Satellite tracking software says they have visited their nesting sites.

Data from a satellite monitoring program run by the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project shows the project’s impact on turtle populations worldwide, whose main nesting sites are in India.

Previous data showed that green turtles can migrate to places as far away as Thailand, proving the effectiveness of the team’s efforts and confirming their success, and the importance of turtle rehabilitation and efforts to protect sea turtle populations around the world. .

Save 100 turtles a year

Since the establishment of the “Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project” in 2004, the “Jumeirah Group” has succeeded in caring for sick or injured sea turtles in cooperation with the Dubai Wildlife Conservation Office. Dubai Falcon Hospital; and the Central Laboratory for Veterinary Research. Statistics show that the rate of turtles rescued reaches more than 100 turtles annually; Hawksbill turtles and green turtles are the most important turtle species the project is interested in maintaining within its facilities, while the center also handles loggerhead turtles and olive ridley turtles.

A female giant green turtle is among the turtles that have been rehabilitated after being injured in a boat collision.