Zippy, 20 other rescued turtles released in UAE waters

Zippy, 20 other rescued turtles released in UAE waters

Dubai: Several endangered turtles have been rehabilitated in Dubai and released into the Arabian Gulf. They were released yesterday, World Sea Turtle Day, as part of Jumeirah Group’s Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project. The 15 Hawksbill and six Green Turtles, both of which are considered endangered species, made it to the sea Jumeirah Al Naseem beach next to the iconic Bur Al Arab hotel. Dedicated to the preservation of endangered turtle species, the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project focuses on the conservation of the hawksbill turtle, a critically endangered species that annually nests along the Gulf coast. Among the successfully rehabilitated turtles was a large female green turtle which had suffered carapace damage due to a boat strike, as well as a male hawksbill turtle named Zippy. Zippy was rescued by the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project in October 2022, after being found in bad shape floating near the Ras al Khaimah shoreline and reported via the 800 TURTLE helpline. Zippy suffered intestine impaction from eating plastic debris, a severe lung infection and was completely covered in barnacles. The event was hosted by Katerina Giannouka, CEO at Jumeirah Group. In her welcome speech, she said: “With many of our resorts being coastal, both