Two Turtles Rescued Within 24 Hours After Getting Entangled

Within just 24 hours, two injured sea turtles were brought into Nature Trust’s care after they had gotten entangled in fishing material.

The first, named Gerbulin, was spotted around 1km off the coast near Ta’ Marija Cave. Nature Trust volunteers headed out by boat with the help of Ġnejna Watersports, but could not find the turtle.

Thankfully, the same person who originally called spotted the turtle again later and managed to bring the turtle safely to shore.

The turtle had fishing line and other material tangled around. Flipper, wounds to the carapace and signs that it had ingested fishing line.

Then, calls started coming in about another entangled turtle near the ferry berthing area at Ċirkewwa.

A volunteer immediately went to the area, but the turtle, again, could not be found. Local boat operators and divers at Ċirkewwa Marine park were asked to keep watch and several hours later, she was spotted again. She was brought ashore by someone on a jet ski and has now been named Dominika.

By the time she was taken to Nature Trust, the material wrapped around her flipper had already been removed. But her severely swollen flipper shows why removing an entanglement is not always as simple as cutting away the line.

‘We know that finding an animal like this creates an immediate urge to help. But even when fishing line or netting looks easy to remove, the situation underneath may be far more complicate’, Nature Trust explained.

‘Line can be embedded deeply into swollen tissue, injuries may be hidden beneath it, and removing it incorrectly can cause further damage. What is visible on the outside may also only be part of the problem, particularly if line has been swallowed.’

‘If you come across an entangled sea turtle, please contact us as quickly as possible, keep the turtle in sight from a safe distance until help arrives, and leave the removal of the entanglement to trained wildlife rescuers and veterinary professionals.’

‘Our volunteers have wildlife handling permits and training as well as equipment in order to rescue these creatures. If you spot any of the wild animals that we rescue injured or in danger, please call the Wildlife Rescue Team Malta on 99999505.’

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