Joanne, whatʼs new at the Rescue Centre (November 2015)?
Our volunteer at the Rescue Centre Joanne Stournara updates us on the events from 1-30 November 2015.
Turtle news:
Turtles currently being treated: 20 (18 loggerheads and 2 green turtles)
Only one new turtle arrived in November. ‘Andriko’, a Caretta caretta with a 35 cm carapace and weighing 5 kilos, arrived on 2 November 2015 from Corinth with an ingested hook and line. The hook was able to be removed without surgery, but unfortunately he died shortly afterwards due to internal injuries caused by the ingested line.
‘Sophia’, a Caretta caretta who had arrived from Kalamata on 30 June 2015 with carapace injuries, died as a result of her injuries.
‘Dimitris-Pavlos’, the largest turtle at the RC this year, is doing well! He had a severe head injury deliberately inflicted by human hands which resulted in splintering part of his skull. All the bone fragments were successfully removed, and the wound is no longer hemorrhaging. He is now being tube fed and, despite his injuries, is able to dive and stay on the bottom of his tank!
Releases
‘Oasis’, a loggerhead who had arrived from Zakynthos on 14 August 2015 with a flipper injury, was released 8 Nov 2015(which unfortunately had to be amputated), was released by boat on 11 Nov 2015.
‘Mario’, a loggerhead who had arrived 14 August 2015 from Chios with a head injury, was released on 8 November 2015.
Other news
On 22 November, a special event was organized at the RC to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of ARCHELON. Besides the tours of the RC, educational films and games for children, ARCHELON collected clothing and other items for children in support of the volunteer group ‘ΜΕΤΑδραση’ on Lesbos. In fact, long-time ARCHELON volunteer Christina Dimakou, who is working on Lesbos with refugee children travelling without parents, was recently featured in an article in the UK newspaper [The Guardian](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/13/athens-lawyer-guardian-to-refugee-camp- children?CMP=share%5Fbtn%5Ffb).
Next time you’re at the RC, be sure to take a look at the new exhibit of hooks, lines, pieces of plastic, and other unusual things ingested by our turtles. Some of the items were removed with surgery and some without, some were naturally eliminated by the turtles with the help of special pharmaceutical oil, and others were recovered from turtles after they had died. The exhibit is on display in the RC shop.
Did you know...
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international group involved in gathering and analyzing data, conducting research, etc. in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. It is best known for publishing the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In 2015, the status of Caretta caretta sea turtles on the Red List was downgraded from Endangered to Vulnerable, based on the increase in the number of nests. To read all the details relating to the justification for this decision, as well as a lot of other information about these turtles and the dangers they face, see http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/3897/0
There are several Facebook pages about ARCHELON, but only one official page. Please LIKE the official ARCHELON Sea Turtle Rescue Society Facebook page and follow us for future events.
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