Ocean Sentry
(From thenational.ae)- Blind in one eye and with a broken shell, Dredger would not have survived had it not been for Nakheel Property employees who found her floundering helplessly off the coast of Dubai. Now, the female Hawksbill turtle, named after the machine that almost killed her, has better days ahead.
Rather than experiencing a slow and painful death last March, the animal was delivered to a team of Dubai vets who saved her life.
“It looked like she was sucked in a pipe,” said Kevin Hyland of the Wildlife Protection Office, describing the injuries that Dredger had suffered on both sides of her shell.
The number of turtles brought to the centre is increasing, said Mr Hyland. But he was quick to add that it is not clear whether this increase means there are now more sick turtles, or simply more people who know to call the centre when they encounter an injured animal.
“I do not remember this many turtles being brought in but the population [of Dubai residents] is now much higher,” he said.
The majority of turtles brought to the centre are young and many of them are starving.
Other sources of trauma are plastic bags, which can become wrapped around a turtle’s flipper, resulting in severance of the limb.
Turtles also collide with boats, although those that do rarely make it to the centre, said Mr Hyland, as they are most likely to die from the accident.
(By Vesela Todorova)
