Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Centre at Landaa Giraavaru celebrates 10th anniversary


Maldives
PUBLISHED February 23, 2020

Turtle Rehabilitation Centre at Landaa Giraavaru reaches new milestone 10 years since its establishment.

Led by a team of passionate marine biologists, this pioneering, on-island research centre lets you experience once-in-a-lifetime encounters with a variety of marine creatures while learning about their life and habitat, and guests can even participate in some of the Resorts conservation projects.

Turtle Rehabilitation Centre is responsible for the recuperation and release of a great many Maldivian sea turtles each year. The centre also run turtle-monitoring and turtle-photo-ID projects that is open for guests to participate in.

"The centre was set up in response to the declining sea turtle numbers in the Maldives and increasing threats that sea turtles are facing. Following the success of the first centre, our other sea turtle rehabilitation centre at Four Seasons Kuda Huraa, was then opened in 2011." A statement by the Marine Savers read.

272 turtles have been admitted to the center over the last 10 years, resulting in 155 successful releases. To celebrate this milestone, two of the rehabilitated turtle patients were released back to their ocean homes on 18th February.

Lenny and Konna, a female Olive Ridley and a juvenile Hawksbill turtle, were found entangled in separate cement bags and ghost nets by Four Seasons staff at Voavah (Four Seasons Private Island) on the 8th and 9th February 2020.

With neither turtles being too tightly entangled, their wounds were small and healed quickly. They quickly regained their strength in the centre. Lenny was released nearby in the morning, and Konna was taken to a Hawksbill feeding ground during Turtle Snorkel in the afternoon, where she will hopefully reside in.

"We would like to thank all of the resort guests, staff, boat captains, sea turtle veterinarians, seaplane pilots and neighbouring resorts or businesses that have assisted in the rescue, transport and rehabilitation of our turtle patients over the last 10 years...we are truly grateful!"


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