The Turtle Arrived at the Aquarium at the Beginning of the Year to Complete its Recovery
This morning, the Seville Aquarium has taken to the sea a turtle of the species Caretta caretta (cataloged by the IUCN as a “vulnerable” species) that appeared last summer on the coast of Playa Chica (Tarifa Island, Cádiz). It had ropes with nets and bottles tangled around its left front flipper, which prevented it from swimming and had caused significant injuries.
The animal was transferred to the facilities of the Andalusian Marine Environment Management Center (CEGMA) of the Strait, in Algeciras, where it remained during the winter recovering from the injuries to its flipper. At the beginning of the year, it was moved to the facilities of the Seville Aquarium to complete its recovery. There, it has been able to exercise and increase its muscle mass, thanks to the larger volume and depth of the tanks it has been in, and the coexistence with other animals.
José Fiscal, Minister of Environment and Territorial Planning, attended the event and emphasized that the Ministry makes a considerable effort in both awareness and dissemination as well as in the care and recovery of stranded specimens of cetaceans and sea turtles on the Andalusian coasts.
Prior to the release of the animal, several activities were carried out with about sixty children from different camps in Campo de Gibraltar. The activity was developed in collaboration with Turmares and Cachalote Project. In these actions, they learned how to act in case of finding a turtle on our coasts, in addition to learning about the dangers that threaten these animals.
With this collaboration with the Junta de Andalucía, the Seville Aquarium reinforces its commitment to the conservation of sea turtles, in which it already participates with various projects.