Turtle Hospital: The Miracle of Favignana, Where Turtles Are Cared for and Saved from Plastic and Nylon

The biggest wounds come from plastic. Bags, glasses, bottles: enough to block the stomach and intestines and bring the turtles Navy to the abyss of death. Then there are the fragments of nets and fishing lines with hooks and nylon, materials equally deadly for the wonderful Caretta Caretta.

TURTLE HOSPITAL

But salvation, at least in Southern Italy, comes from the most important turtle hospital, located at Favignana, where in four years of activity many have been saved and put back into the water 77 Caretta Caretta specimens. In Sea Turtle Recovery Center, Aegadian Islands MPA everything works like in a real hospital.

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Loggerhead Turtle Hospital

Once the notification of the presence of a turtle After contacting "Sos Tarta," a type of emergency medical service operated by the Trapani Port Authority, staff from the Favignana hospital intervened. Using equipment provided by the Coast Guard, they recovered the injured man and transferred him to the recovery center.

From this moment on, the health procedureBlood tests, digital X-rays, fecal analysis: all the tests needed for an initial diagnosis and the treatment needed to save the turtle.

During the initial phase of treatment, the loggerhead sea turtle is immersed in one of the hospital's five pools, which make up the recovery ward, where they can remain for several months, until they are fully recovered.

Once recovered and healthy, the turtles are released back into their natural environment, the sea. But this phase is also very delicate, and any mistakes could jeopardize the entire treatment process. Salvatore Livreri, director of the Egadi Islands Marine Protected Area, explains: "In reality, the turtles remain in the enclosure during the winter, even though they have recovered. The reason is simple: thermal shock must be avoided, given that the temperature of the tank is around 24 degrees Celsius for antibiotic therapy to be effective, while the seawater is between 14 and 16 degrees Celsius."

TO KNOW MORE: Diego, the tortoise who revived the Galapagos by giving birth to 800 offspring.

FAVIGNANA TURTLE HOSPITAL

Fortunately, there's plenty of space at the Favignana hospital, although the number of available tanks needs to be increased. Each tank can accommodate up to two loggerhead turtles, depending on their age. If the turtle is over 35 years old, it cannot share the tank with anyoneIf, however, it is less than 30 years old, and is therefore classified as a subadult, the enclosure space can be shared by two Caretta Caretta specimens.

The images are taken from the Facebook page of First Aid Center for Sea Turtles of the Egadi Islands MPA 

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