A Workshop for sea turtle care became a reality

Knowledge and experience regarding the treatment and care of injured and sick sea turtles is increasing worldwide and the ARCHELON Sea Turtle Rescue Centre strives to improve at every opportunity in both infrastructure and care techniques. The recent opportunity came with the help of Wildlife Vets International, a non-profit organization from Britain, who have been supporting ARCHELON with educational visits from specialized scientists, as well as with medical and pharmaceutical material since 2019. The idea was to organize a training workshop on sea turtle care methods for the people and agencies who are often in contact with ARCHELON for rescue incidents of injured turtles all over Greece. Thus, on February 11 & 12, 2023, the Training Workshop on modern methods of rescue and care for sea turtles was held at the Palmyra Beach Hotel and at the Sea Turtle Rescue Centre.

The workshop was attended by friends from Kavala (Fisheries Research Institute), Attica (Attica Zoological Park), Crete (Cretaquarium), Kefalonia (Wildlife Sense), Naxos (Naxos Wildlife Protection), Lakonia (Tulipa Goulimi Association) and Rhodes (Hydrobiological Station). There were also international entries from SEA LIFE Brighton and The National Aquarium at Abu Dhabi. Eirini Kasimati, Sea Turtle Rescue Network Officer of ARCHELON, talked about the biggest challenges facing sea turtle rescue in Greece. Tania Monreal and Matt Rendle from Wildlife Vets International, their team and invited guests presented upgraded and modern techniques and information on the treatment, rehabilitation and welfare assessment for sea turtles. Among the highlights of the Workshop was the demonstration of an ultrasound performed on a sea turtle using a mobile phone by veterinary nurse Jack Pye, as well as the demonstration of tracker placement on sea turtles by Alasdair Davies from Arribada Initiative/ZSL.

"Our main goal was to create a common vocabulary between different organizations in Greece, in order to deal with incidents and to better facilitate the recovery of injured sea turtles based on international standards" ,explains Dimitris Fytilis, Manager of the Rescue Centre. Are your studies related to animal rescue, rehabilitation, marine wildlife biology and conservation? You can now apply for an internship at ARCHELON! Learn more here.