Cause of death…propeller!
The turtle had sustained injuries to the shell, the jaw and the right rear flipper. After a close inspection of the wounds, it had become clear that they were caused by a boat’s propeller. One of our volunteers, Cosette, having the appropriate experience from volunteering in ARCHELON's Rescue Center, provided first aid to the rare species and on Saturday 15 July, the turtle was transferred with the help of KTEL Zakynthos to the ARCHELON Rescue Center in Athens.
With proper health care, specialized veterinarians and of course the care of our volunteers, we had hoped that her health would be restored within the next few weeks. Sadly, the turtle that was named Coco in honor of the volunteer who helped her in the very first critical hours, died during her rehabilitation. The injuries she received were too severe, as the propeller had cut through her shell.
As we are in the highest tourist season, more tourists visit the island of Zakynthos and so more boats occupy the sea and the beaches of the island. This increases the risk for turtles, which are located in the bay of Laganas, and around the island.
Unfortunately, on Saturday 15th July we found the 15th dead turtle for this season on the island, and even more recently on the 28th July we found another turtle killed by a boat’s propeller. Worryingly, this male turtle had been found inside the National Marine Park of Zakynthos, within the zone near Marathonissi. According to legislation, there is a strict speed limit of 6 nautical miles per hour within the Marine park to prevent such interactions between wild animals and boats.
ARCHELON will continue its work dynamically and we hope that this number will not grow further.
Information: Anna Lamaj, Project Leader of Zakynthos Project Phone: +30 6940454976, email: zakynth@archelon.gr
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