Sharjah Aquarium adopts initiatives and a specialized program for the rehabilitation of sick or injured sea turtles to maintain their safety, aimed at facilitating the life cycle of sea turtles and preventing them from becoming extinct.
The Sharjah Aquarium, affiliated to the Sharjah Museums Authority, is the first and largest government educational center for marine organisms in the UAE, and constitutes a cultural platform to promote the importance of preserving the marine environment.
The aquaculture team in the aquarium collects the injured sea turtles and receives them from community members and fishermen. They are often caught in fishing nets or large pumps, to be isolated in quarantine ponds, cleaned with medical equipment, treated and provided with full health care.
The specialized team continues its tasks by examining the turtles to ensure that their health condition recovers and that they are able to rely on themselves to be released in their original habitat, while the rehabilitation program for the injured turtles is one of the most prominent programs of the Sharjah Marine Aquarium, to spread community awareness of the interest in the marine environment and the preservation of its elements and components.
The Sharjah Museums Authority, through the Sharjah Aquarium, recently returned 8 endangered turtles of two types, “green turtles” and “hawk-beaks”, to their original habitat in the sea at Al-Hamriya Beach in Sharjah, as part of the social responsibility initiative it launched under the title “Because We Care”.
The average age of the released turtles ranged between 5 and 30 years, and they were found in unsanitary conditions, before the breeder took care of them and rehabilitated them in preparation for returning them to their original environment again.
Green turtles, which are known locally as “Sherry” and reach a maximum length of 120 cm, are among the endangered species, although they live up to 70 years or more, as they were called green turtles due to the color of their body.
Hawksbill turtles are known locally as “Ahmsa”, and they are also one of the endangered species. They gained their name from the distinctive shape of their beak-like mouth. They are 114 cm long and live up to 50 years.
Since the launch of its “Because We Care” initiative in 2009 until today, Sharjah Aquarium has released three groups of 30 turtles in different years in Al Khan, Kalba and Al Hamriya.
The initiative, which is a joint project between the Sharjah Museums Authority and several official bodies, aims to emphasize the role of the jam in spreading awareness of the importance of the marine environment and its creatures among members of the public.
The initiative contributes to highlighting the efforts made by the breeder and other institutions in preserving the marine environment, and emphasizing the importance of the turtle species and marine organisms that live in the waters of the United Arab Emirates, to support efforts to preserve and develop endangered species.
The Sharjah Aquarium is part of the Sharjah environmental project, which is rich in its programs and initiatives, which translates the emirate’s responsibility and commitment to protecting the environment and preserving biodiversity.
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