Wildlife Rescue Team Malta has had a very busy month aiding turtles in distress.

Yesterday, a man who was snorkelling in Marsalforn stopped to admire a turtle in its natural habitat.

Upon this, the snorkeller noticed the turtle with a very long fishing line coming out of the mouth.

Luckily, he managed to bring the sea creature up to shore and immediately call the rescue team for assistance. 

Volunteers from Nature Trust – FEE Malta – Gozo Section collected the turtle and headed to Ċirkewwa, where another volunteer was waiting to transport the turtle to the team’s wildlife rehabilitation centre.

Now named Arielle, the turtle is being assessed by the Wildlife Rescue vet to determine whether it ingested a hook and to decide the best way forward.

Just last week, another turtle was spotted in distress in Gozitan waters. Similarly to Arielle, the turtle spotted seemed to have ingested a fishing line.