Where turtles are saved in Italy (VIDEO)

From Reggio Calabria to Favignana: with little money, many generous volunteers are helping turtles, victims of plastic and overfishing.

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WHERE TURTLES ARE SAVED

La Caretta caretta It is one of the rarest and most threatened turtle species in our seas, partly due to overly aggressive fishing. Yet in Calabria, efforts are underway, with strong collaboration between various institutions, to save it. It seems like a miracle, but even in the deep South, where sea and land are often subject to waste and devastation, a virtuous system to save the Caretta caretta and help it reproduceWhere? Along a strip of marine area between Bianco and Melito, where, with the collaboration of the university, the region and the CNR (and with European funds), protected areas have been set up specifically for this species. turtles.

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TURTLE OASIS OF CALABRIA

This is an important and concrete effort to protect the environment, sustainability, and the ecosystem, considering that the sea turtle, which roamed the seas as far back as 110 million years ago, is classified as "vulnerable" on the global red list of endangered species. This is for two key reasons: the decimation due to wild fishing, but even before that massacre for the bags of plastic bags that infest the seasTurtles mistake plastic for jellyfish and therefore ingest it, with fatal injuries, as it creates an intestinal blockage in their body.

Among the various species at risk there is also the Dermochelys coriacea, the largest and fastest sea turtle. Almost two meters long as an adult, it weighs between 500 and 700 kilograms and can move through the water at 35 centimeters per hour, propelled by two front limbs that function as flippers. A spectacle, and an example of the richness of nature that we have a duty to protect. Animal after animal, turtle on turtle.

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TURTLE HOSPITAL IN FAVIGNANA

Another center of excellence for saving turtles is the hospital in Favignana, Sicily. About It begins with the rescue of injured turtles at sea, in collaboration with the Trapani Port Authority, followed by their hospitalization and treatment, with a gradual transition through five tanks corresponding to the different stages of therapy. Finally, once healed, the turtle is released back into its natural habitat.

SIMETO OASIS

In an area of ​​approximately two thousand hectares overlooking the sea, along the Catania-Syracuse highway, thanks to the work of WWF volunteers, a natural terrestrial and marine park has been created. In this splendid stretch of Sicilian waters, turtles have found their refuge, and the Caretta caretta turtles lay their eggs along the sandy shoreline.Simeto Oasis.
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loggerhead sea turtle

The loggerhead sea turtle is widespread in southern Italy because these are its preferred nesting sites, with eggs hatching after about 50 days of incubation. The loggerhead sea turtle, the most common turtle species in the Mediterranean Sea, is considered critically endangered, with red being the most common color. This is due to the following factors: overfishing, beach tourism, coastal lighting, marine pollution, and microplastics accumulating in their stomachs.

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