Over 2K endangered turtles saved, returned to natural habitat in Dubai

A total of 2,050 turtles have been rescued and rehabilitated to complete their marine life in the sea since 2004 in Dubai.

At Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Al Naseem of Dubai, endangered turtles find the necessary treatment and rehabilitation they need in a lake in a natural reserve of Jumeirah, Dubai. The project is the first of its kind in the region. 

A hotline “800TURTLE” was launched to report about sick and endangered turtles. “With the introduction of 800TURTLE, anyone who finds a sick or injured sea turtle can reach out to us on this number and our team will guide them through the correct process until we are able to get to the turtle and transport it to our facility,” said Barbara Lang-Lenton Arrizabalaga, director of Aquarium at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, in a statement on June 16. 

The project was launched in 2004 as per a signed memorandum of understanding between the Fujairah Environment Authority and the Fujairah Research Center.

There are seven species of sea turtles classified as “endangered,” including three of them classified as “critically endangered,” according to the World Wildlife Fund. Besides the natural elements, human interference of poaching and plastic pollutants are major reasons of endangering marine turtles.

The hawksbill turtle, native to the Middle East, is classified as critically endangered, with only 8,000 female turtles remaining worldwide, Jumeirah reported.