New Year, New Turtle Hospital

It’s a New Year — and new opportunities to help rescue wildlife in need.

Over the past, few months Dolphin Project’s team in Indonesia has rescued several sea turtles. Some will need extensive rehabilitation (including wound care and manual feeding), as in the case of a sea turtle suffering from a gash to its head, likely from a boat propeller strike. Others were able to be treated and re-released.

Last week, on January 13, 2023, the Navy and Department of Forestry and Wildlife, along with our team participated in a wildlife confiscation, where 43 green sea turtles were rescued after being illegally traded. Our team brought the turtles to the Umah Lumba Center in West Bali, where their injuries were treated. Thirty-four turtles were able to be immediately released, with another eight deemed releasable less than a week later. Two turtles remain at in our care, where they continue to be medically treated and rehabilitated for possible future release.

Resting green sea turtles immediately after confiscation, West Bali, Indonesia. Credit: DolphinProject.com

Rescued turtle is cared for at the Umah Lumba Center, West Bali, Indonesia. Credit: DolphinProject.com

Rescued green sea turtles, Umah Lumba Center, West Bali, Indonesia. Credit: DolphinProject.com

According to Dolphin Project’s Indonesia Campaign Director Femke den Haas, green sea turtles are illegally sold and traded for food and cultural reasons. The methods of their capture are brutal, with the animals often maimed as they are bound and confined.

Given the number of sea turtles requiring care, we are in the process of creating a dedicated turtle hospital. At present, we have built a fenced-in pond and some fiberglass pools. Soon, we will be expanding the facilities.

Green sea turtle evaluated after confiscation, Umah Lumba Center, West Bali, Indonesia. Credit: DolphinProject.com

Rescued green sea turtle medically treated, Umah Lumba Center, West Bali, Indonesia. Credit: DolphinProject.com

Rescued green sea turtle, West Bali, Indonesia. Credit: DolphinProject.com

While our main focus at the Umah Lumba Center is on dolphin rehabilitation and re-release, Dolphin Project is pleased to be able to provide medical aid and rehabilitation for turtles, including endangered and critically endangered species. To-date, we have provided care to:

• 1 critically endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
• 5 Brazilian red-cheeked mud turtles, a species not native to Indonesia (Kinosternon scorpioodes cruentatum)
• 46 endangered green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas)

Please consider making a donation to support our critical lifesaving work to protect marine life.

Featured image: An injured sea turtle is treated at the Umah Lumba Center, West Bali, Indonesia. Credit: DolphinProject.com