Remember Steph the turtle’s epic rescue a few weeks ago? Well, she’s up and running (or should we say crawling) back into the sea after a brief recovery! Steph, together with fellow rescued turtles Gabriel and Victoria have been released back into the wild after they swallowed plastic material and needed to be given treatment.

The little ones were treated by Nature Trust Malta due to plastic found in their stomachs. On the occasion of their release, Nature Trust President Vince Attard urged the public to be aware of the danger of plastic, and stressed the importance of clean seas. “We've had many turtles with plastic in their stomach, and wanted to do something so that this campaign continues during next summer, whereby we as Nature Trust and Blue Flag Malta will coordinate a cleansing campaign around the whole of the Mediterranean.”

Steph, Gabriel, and Victoria were released at Gnejna, where more than 100 students from different schools attended an educational event to increase awareness of the Litter Less campaign.

Among those present was local personality Clare Agius, ambassador of Nature Trust on plastic waste dumped at sea. A few days ago, Agius uploaded a video on Facebook about the effects plastic pollution has on the maritime ecosystem. “All human beings on Earth should feel that this is our reality and it is our responsibility,” she states.

And well, we couldn't agree more. If we gain control of plastic pollution, there'd be no need to rescue these beautiful turtles, and our seas would be a cleaner, safer place. Keep swimming little ones!

Spot an animal in need of assistance? Call Nature Trust Malta Wildlife Rescue Line (9999 9505)