Forty-three rehabilitated sea turtles, including 10 hawksbill hatchlings, return to the sea in Abu Dhabi

Forty-three sea turtles that had been nursed back to health were released at Saadiyat Beach in Abu Dhabi on 15 October, Gulf News reported. The release was carried out by The National Aquarium Abu Dhabi and the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) under their joint wildlife rescue program.

Hatchlings and adults, two species

The group included 28 green turtles and 15 hawksbill turtles. Ten of the hawksbills were hatchlings and five were sub-adults or adults. Hawksbill turtles are listed as Critically Endangered and green turtles as Endangered, according to the report.

The turtles spent months in rehabilitation at the aquarium before release. The report does not say why each was rescued or whether any were fitted with tags or satellite trackers.

Why hawksbills matter to coral reefs

Hawksbills are the only sea turtles that can live mostly on sponges, which they pick from cracks in coral reefs with their narrow, beak-like mouths, according to NOAA Fisheries. That makes them important to how reef ecosystems work.

Hunting for their shell, sold as tortoiseshell for jewelry and trinkets, nearly drove the species to extinction, NOAA says. International trade is banned under CITES, but illegal hunting continues, alongside bycatch in fishing gear, habitat loss and vessel strikes. Females nest only every one to five years, laying three to five nests a season of about 130 to 160 eggs each, so every animal returned to the sea counts.

“Seeing these turtles return to the wild is the moment everyone works towards.” — Paul Hamilton, General Manager, The National Aquarium Abu Dhabi

“Every animal comes to us with a different story and different needs,” Hamilton said. “Releasing 43 turtles together is a very special moment for our team.”

More than 1,800 turtles in six years

The National Aquarium and EAD have run the rescue, rehabilitation and release program for six years and have now returned more than 1,800 sea turtles to the sea, the report said.

Green turtles are being rescued elsewhere too; in Indonesia this week, 20 green turtles found on a suspected smuggling boat were released off Bali. More stories of animals returned to the wild are collected under wildlife rescue.