Double release and triple joy, this time together with our Life Euroturtles partners!
Two rescued female loggerhead sea turtles returned to their natural habitat, the sea, after a stay of about 10 months in ARCHELON’s Sea Turtle Rescue Centre. The event took place on Thursday 26/9/2019 and marks the happy outcome of a lengthy rescue effort in both cases. “Aphrodite” was found with a deliberate head injury in Ermioni, in November last year and was directly transported to the Rescue Centre. “Katerina” was found with a deliberate head injury in Halkidiki, also in November last year. This turtle was given first aid by Prof. A. Komninou at the Veterinary School of Thessaloniki University and consequently was transported to the Rescue Centre for treatment.
So, double release, but triple joy as the whole Life- Euroturtles team attended this event. ARCHELON was hosting the annual meeting of the project and partners from Cyprus, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Malta were in Glyfada during most of last week. The Life- Euroturtles project aims to improve connections and synergism on key conservation aspects among 6 EU countries, which are amongst the most important countries for the conservation of sea turtles in the Mediterranean. All participants were looking forward to the event of the rescued turtles release.
“We find it extremely useful to meet and exchange on the implementation of our commonly agreed activities” says Drasco Holcer, the Euroturtles Coordinator from the Croatian Natural History Museum. “Many loggerheads nest in Greece but feed and spend a lot of time in the Adriatic Sea and other parts of the Mediterranean, together with us and our fishermen. The threats of the sea turtles at sea are common in all countries” he added. Representatives of the European Commission, more specifically from EASME, who are supervising Life projects, also joined the meeting in Glyfada.
“We are happy that the Rescue Centre’s treatment facilities which were acquired in the framework of the Life Euroturtles, have already helped many injured animals” says Dimitris Fytilis, marine scientist MSc, who is the Rescue Centre Coordinator.
It is also a fact that with the latest improvements at the Rescue Centre, ARCHELON’s staff and volunteers have been able to put up with the increased number of arrivals of sea turtles deliberately injured in the head. “These cases take a long time to reach rehabilitation. Last winter, until the recent extensions, there was no space available at the Centre to admit new cases” says Eirini Kassimati, biologist MSc, who is ARCHELON’s rescue/rehabilitation officer.
All of the above having been said, our last thought is with the two rescued sea turtles who start a new journey and the tens of volunteers who took care of them during their stay! Good luck to all of you, as well as to our Life Euroturtles partners!
P100 – Planet Technopolis hosted environmental activities
Chrysanthis' return to the sea
RECENT NEWS
- OUR NEWS27/09/2023
World Tourism Day 2023: Are there sea turtle-friendly hotels in north Crete?
But why is tourism important to sea turtles?
- OUR NEWS15/09/2023
Lilo, the tiny green turtle, made it back to the sea!
In November 2021 a small green turtle arrived at the ARCHELON Rescue Centre with a very serious head injury. After almost two years of intensive care, one Wednesday in September 2023 he was finally discharged and returned to the sea!
- OUR NEWS17/08/2023
World record of 37 years of reproductive life for a loggerhead sea turtle in Zakynthos, Greece – increased number of nests this summer, says ARCHELON
ARCHELON – the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece announces an important outcome of the systematic work of this year's sea turtle nest monitoring team in Zakynthos. Based on their long-term observations, ARCHELON managed to certify a new World Record of reproductive activity for loggerhead turtles.
- OUR NEWS07/08/2023
ATTENTION! Sea turtles are not pets: Do not touch them or feed them!
The Municipality of Eastern Mani and the Port Authorities requested the assistance of ARCHELON to inform beach users in the area of Limeni, near Mani, where 35 new incidents of sea turtle attacks on sea bathers have been recorded during this summer season. These are added to the already long list of 200 such records of previous years found in the nearby Health Center in Areopolis.
- OUR NEWS01/08/2023
Interview with a volunteer: Lea Heinen, Rescue Centre
Interview with a volunteer: Lea Heinen, Rescue Centre Lea shares her experience volunteering at the ARCHELON Sea Turtle Rescue Centre: “I think when a turtle starts to eat after a month of trying, when you can see the improvement or healing of a turtle's injury and when a turtle is released back into the sea, into its natural habitat, into its home - then you know that you are indeed saving turtles”.
- OUR NEWS21/07/2023
Kids Beach Competition 2023: Make your own little sea turtle with natural materials and send us a photo!
Help us spread the message about the protection of sea turtles by making your own baby turtles with natural materials you will find on the beach. Sand, stones, pebbles, shells, seaweed, sticks and whatever else you have available, can be transformed with a little imagination! Take a photo of your work and send it to the ARCHELON Beach Competition.
- OUR NEWS18/07/2023
Paving the way for next steps in conservation of marine turtles in the Mediterranean region
Last week the partner organizations of the project “Conservation of Marine Turtles in the Mediterranean Region” met for the 9th Steering Committee Meeting. The meeting was organized by SPA/RAC in the area of Kyparissia Bay, Greece on the 4th and 5th of July, 2023 in collaboration with ARCHELON.
- OUR NEWS04/07/2023
An offer to EXPERIENCED volunteers: You can now join the beach projects for 2-3 weeks!
The time is just right to join the projects again, even if you have only 2 or 3 weeks of available time. This offer is valid for August, September, October 2023. Apply through our new website and find out more about the dates and places you can join. More…
- OUR NEWS22/06/2023
The nesting season has begun! Learn what you can do if you find sea turtle tracks or nests on the beach
The nesting season for the loggerhead sea turtles has begun. The nests that are made in the areas monitored by ARCHELON and other collaborating groups are already being recorded. However, if you find tracks or nests on other beaches, you can also participate in the effort to record and protect these sporadic nests. Find out why it's important…
- OUR NEWS16/06/2023
A breath away from registering a new world record on the years of known active reproduction of a loggerhead sea turtle is ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece
This is the year when ARCHELON, a nonprofit environmental NGO, is celebrating 40 years of continuous and targeted action to save sea turtles in Greece and the Mediterranean. At the same time, the project teams of ARCHELON are ready to register the longest period of active reproduction known for the Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), in case it happens this year!
- OUR NEWS15/06/2023
A Saturday unlike any other - Turtle Festival 2023
ARCHELON invites kids and adults to celebrate the environment and the sea in an exciting way at the "Sea Turtle Festival" on Saturday, May 27 at the Sea Turtle Rescue Centre in the 3rd Marina of Glyfada.
- OUR NEWS07/06/2023
Announcement for all past volunteers of ARCHELON: Shall we meet this September?
Highlight: Hi everyone! This year marks 40 years of ARCHELON’s action for protecting sea turtles in Greece. During these four decades, thousands of volunteers from many countries joined our sea turtle projects and the Rescue Centre to help save the turtles. Let’s meet again this coming September and celebrate the animals we saved during all these years.
- OUR NEWS07/04/2023
Waiting list for schools that want to visit the ARCHELON Rescue Centre
Thousands of Greek students visit the Centre and get informed about the value of protecting the environment through contact with a particularly beloved animal, the sea turtle. "All the available visiting hours until the end of the 2022-2023 school year have been booked, but there is a waiting list that is activated in case of cancellations", says Anna Kontoleon, ARCHELON’s Education Officer. More hours for online tours may be added in May if volunteers become available.
- OUR NEWS28/03/2023
People are supporting wildlife conservation
The donations and "adoptions" made at the Rescue Centre in Glyfada, Attica and at ARCHELON’s field projects in Zakynthos, the Peloponnese and Crete in 2022, reached the amount of €350,000. We did a lot last year thanks to all these people, who also made it possible for us to continue this year.
- OUR NEWS24/03/2023
Gail Schofield
We learned with deep sadness the passing away of Gail Schofield, a pronounced sea turtle researcher and former ARCHELON volunteer. Read more…