After going through months of rehabilitation, a young female turtle has been released back into the wild at Gnejna Bay.

The turtle that was under the care of Nature Trust’s Wildlife Rescue Team volunteers, was found back in August right under the Hagar Qim area.

“The injured turtle was found in a critical state and severely undernourished, due to the ingestion of a fishing hook and line”, the Wildlife Rescue Team Malta wrote on their social media.

It was spotted by members of the public and thanks to a joint operation by the Environment & Resources Authority and Civil Protection Malta, the turtle was taken into care.  

‘’One of our main objectives is to rescue and rehabilitate as many injured turtles as possible. We currently have 12 turtles receiving treatment, 9 of which have been rescued in Maltese waters this year alone. Sea turtles often suffer devastating injuries from entanglement in or ingestion of marine debris, swallowing fishing hooks and ghost gear’’ Nature Trust’s president, Vince Attard expressed.

‘’Our ultimate goal is to rehabilitate and release our patients as quickly as possible. However, we have strict release criteria before we make the decision to send a patient home. They must be able to dive and rest at the bottom of the tank with ease; they must be off of all medication; and they must be free of infection, disease or injury’’ he added.

The Wildlife Rescue team continue to emphasize the problems of plastic ingestion when it comes to these types of animals.

“It can cause significant blockages and even full obstructions which can result in intestinal perforation, sepsis and ultimately death”

“Plastic ingestion is so common that the Wildlife Rescue team often find plastic being passed by recovering and healthy patients, even if they were admitted for something completely unrelated, and even when many months have passed since they have been in the wild”, they continued.

Anyone who comes across any injured wildlife while in Malta can contact the rescue team on 99999505.