Eighty critically endangered Hawksbill turtle yearlings (Eretmochelys imbricata) have been released along a stretch of Saadiyat Beach in Abu Dhabi by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) in collaboration with Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort.

The turtles’ release was attended by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and Dr. Sheikha Salem Al Dhaheri, EAD’s Acting Secretary General.

The turtles were rescued last winter with the support of members of the public, fishermen, EAD rangers and other partners, including Abu Dhabi Ports, the Critical Infrastructure and Coastal Protection Agency, the Emirates Natural History Group, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas. Following an initial health check, turtles with minor injuries were tended to by EAD’s experts, whereas those that were suffering from infections or diseases required more intensive care and were sent to the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project.

The yearlings were rescued during the winter months (from November to March) when they become lethargic and experience a period of reduced activity - a time when small hitchhikers such as barnacles attach themselves to these docile reptiles, weighing them down and wearing them out. Many of the turtles also lacked proper nutrition and sufficient energy to make it through the season and ended up washed ashore or floating on the surface of the water.

EAD's efforts to monitor and protect turtles dates back to 1998, which resulted in Bu Tinah Island being recognised as one of the ten most important sites for marine turtles in the Indian Ocean region by the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Marine Turtles and their Habitats of the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia (IOSEA).

Source: WAM