Rescued turtles released at Ġnejna Bay

Two loggerhead turtles were released at Ġnejna Bay on Thursday, after months of rehabilitation at Fort San Luċjan.

Nature Trust Malta said the first turtle, Popeye, is about five years old and was rescued close to Popeye Village, Mellieħa, on 18 March. Popeye was found entangled in abandoned fishing debris and was also found to have a lung infection following the ingestion of plastic. He was ready to be released after four months of rehabilitation.

The second turtle, Catherine, was rescued three kilometres off the coast of Armier on 21 November 2017. Catherine was also found entangled in marine debris and in bits of plastic but had an old scar indicating that she had probably been hit by a boat. Although the wound healed, it left her deformed. An assessment of the turtle also uncovered a serious lung infection and malnourishment, but after eight months of care and rehabilitation, Catherine was ready to return to the sea.

Nature Trust Malta appeals to the public to be responsible when disposing of waste to prevent the accidental ingestion or entanglement of wildlife in such waste.

Loggerhead turtles have been on our planet for over 200 million years but are now an endangered species due to pollution, climate change and the loss of sandy beaches to development.