Martin begins rescue mission out in paradise
ATROPICAL paradise surrounded by sea turtles. It sounds perfect.
But in the Indian Ocean, these majestic creatures are under threat and a Stockport-born humanitarian is doing all he can to protect them from harm.
Martin Stelfox is the founder and CEO of The Olive Ridley Project (ORP), a UK-based charity that finds and rehabilitates sea turtles that become trapped
and hurt in nets.
Martin grew up in a culde-sac in Stockport and became obsessed with animals, especially the scaly ones, at a young age.
“It was from my dad’s influence, really. He used to keep fish and we would watch nature documentaries together,” he said.
“From when I was 12, I had heaps of reptiles like lizards and snakes that I would look after. I used to take them into school for presentations”.
The other kids fell in love with his collection and Martin quickly earned the affectionate nickname ‘Reptile Boy.’
Martin went on to study Biological Sciences at Manchester Metropolitan University where his love of marine life flourished and conservation work became his focus.
He explained: “I’m a diver and it didn’t matter where I went or how deep I would dive, I’d find plastic everywhere. I felt I had to do something about it.
“It was always igniting in the back of my mind.”
Martin saw first-hand the damage that this plastic pollution can do to aquatic animals.
Abandoned nylon nets, known as ghost nets, litter the ocean and are responsible for trapping and killing millions of creatures every year, including turtles.
“The nets get tangled around their flippers. They struggle so hard to escape that they hurt themselves,” Martin said.
He explained that since turtles are air-breathing reptiles, they are also at risk of drowning if they become trapped underwater for too long.
In February 2017, ORP opened their first Marine Turtle Rescue Centre in the Maldives.
Since then, they have treated around 70 turtles, 30 of which have been successfully released back into the sea.
ORP gets its name from the olive ridley sea turtle, and Penny is a female olive ridley who spent almost two years in recovery at the centre.
Her right-front flipper was so badly damaged by a ghost net that it had to be amputated and she needed to relearn how to dive to feed herself.
One time, Martin and his team discovered two turtles entwined in the same net along with a jumble of plastic waste.
Fortunately, the divers were able to free the animals before they came to any harm and Martin gladly watched as they swam away.
The project is reliant on volunteers to keep going and willing helpers are invited to join the team for two, three or four week programmes in the tropics.
If you’re an animal lover and a strong swimmer, you too can help save these beautiful beings from harm.
To volunteer or donate to The Olive Ridley Project, visit oliveridleyproject.org.