A loggerhead turtle was released this Tuesday on Calblanque beach after passing through the ‘El Valle’ Wildlife Recovery Center. The juvenile specimen was rescued 11 kilometers from the coast, near the municipality of Mazarrón, by workers from a cetacean sighting company, to later go on to the 2023 Fauna Recovery Program.
The animal, 23 cm long and weighing 1.5 kilos, became trapped between fibers and other synthetic debris, which completely impeded its ability to swim. After his rescue, a clinical review was carried out, in which it was found that the main lesions affected his front wings. After removing the remains that caused the wounds, the affected area was cleaned and disinfected, as well as the stabilization of the turtle through fluid therapy.
The loggerhead turtle is classified as a ‘vulnerable’ species in the List of Wild Species under Special Protection Regime and in the Spanish Catalog of Threatened Species and as ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Among its main threats is the ingestion of plastics and different types of floating waste, its accidental capture in fishing nets, entanglement in the remains of fibers or drifting lines and, to a lesser extent, collisions with boats or the destruction and alteration of nesting beaches.
This moment was witnessed by the Minister for the Environment, Mar Menor, Universities and Research, Juan María Vázquez, who explained that “after notifying the Forestry Coordination Center, a team from the Wildlife Recovery Center traveled to the area to pick up the animal and proceed to its transfer to the facilities of ‘El Valle’, to start an adequate treatment. Today we release her after verifying that the rehabilitation has been successful.
The turtle remained in the specific facility in El Valle, where it recovered its swimming ability. “After verifying that she was capable of feeding herself, she was already in a position to be returned to the natural environment,” explained Juan María Vázquez.
“This is the first specimen released on the coast of our region this year and, like all previous ones, it has been identified with a subcutaneous microchip, which will allow it to be identified if it is recaptured at some point in its life. In addition, it makes it easier to collect important information about aspects such as demography, movements and global threats that affect the species, factors of vital importance for its conservation”, informed the head of the Environment.
In the facilities of the ‘El Valle’ Wildlife Recovery Center, 3,081 specimens of different species of native fauna entered and were recovered in 2022, most of them birds (83.74%), and mainly during the months of June (931 ) and July (756). The city of Murcia leads the record of income with 1,323, followed by Cartagena. Of the animals that were in the center, 1,024 (33.24%) were released.
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