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Profile of turtle HK2597

Turtle-ID – How To ID A Turtle?

An important aspect of our research is Photographic Identification, or photo-ID. This is the process of recognizing individual animals of a species from unique markings on their body.   Photo-ID is a scientifically proven method of “tagging” animals . Individual turtles can be ID’d by comparing their facial scales, which are unique. This method was developed by Jean et al. … Read More

orp-community-outreach-thulaidhoo-beach-cleaning

Community Outreach Maldives

ORP welcomes Community Outreach Coordinator Imaha (Kaia) Mohamed Kaia joined the ORP team in August as our first Maldivian Community Outreach Coordinator. This one-year full-time position was made possible by a grant from the Body Shop Foundation. Kaia hit the ground running with workshops, clean-ups, and training seminars for her fellow Maldivians. Check out some of  Kaia’s community outreach activities … Read More

Ghost Net Traps 15 Turtle Hatchlings On Astola Island

Zain Warsi’s incredible rescue: Being an adventure enthusiast, I’m always looking for new places to explore, especially those that have not been commercialised yet. Astola Island has been on my list for a very long time now and I finally got an opportunity to visit the Island and spend the night there.   Astola Island, also known as Jezira Haft … Read More

Maldives Whale Shark Festival

The Maldives Whale Shark Festival held by the Maldives Whale Shark Research Program is an annual celebration of marine life and is ecologically, culturally, and economically important to the island communities of the Maldives. On the 28th of August on the island of Dhigurah the Science Fest kicked off too a colourful start. The event had many  students from local school, joined by … Read More

Dr Jillian Hudgings talking with Maldivian school children

ORP’s School Visit

The Olive Ridley Project’s senior project scientist, Dr Jillian Hudgins, recently made a quick trip to the Maldives to carry out workshops and training sessions. She also found time for two local school visits to talk about threats to the marine environment, including ghost nets, and what the local islanders can do to minimize their impact on turtles and other … Read More

One Nation Coral Revival

Once a year the good people from Save the Beach organise a two-day event on the tropical island of Villingili. The One Nation Coral Revival event is an opportunity for Maldivian artists, conservationists, marine researchers and nature lovers to get together and discuss the Maldivian environment and talk about ways to improve it.   Olive Ridley Project (ORP) volunteers Jesse … Read More

35th International Sea Turtle Symposium

The Olive Ridley Project (ORP) team has just returned from the 35th International Sea Turtle Symposium (ISTS) held in Dalaman, Turkey. We were happy to meet people from all over the world who are involved in the protection of sea turtles through research, rehabilitation and community outreach. However, it was evident that there is still a lot of work to be … Read More

ORP-Coco Collection partnership ceremony

ORP Partners With Coco Collection, Maldives

At the beginning of this year, the Olive Ridley Project (ORP) partnered with Coco Collection Resorts in the Maldives.   Our partnership will be based on their Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu and Coco Bodu Hithi properties, located respectively in the Baa Atoll and North Malé Atoll. We are very excited about this partnership, as it will allow us to build … Read More

turtle trapped in ghost net

Ghost Net Entangles Five Olive Ridley Sea Turtles In The Maldives

The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle has a very special nesting behavior. Once a year thousands of females congregate in preparation for a mass nesting event known as an Arribada – this is derived from the spanish word meaning “arrival”. This spectacular behavior can be observed in very few places in the world, but one of those places is in an … Read More

Ghost Net Claims The Lives Of Two Turtles And One Shark

On 24th April 2007. The Prodivers Maldives team found a large ghost net nearby Kuredhu resort with many animals dead and entangled inside. The net had killed one adult male Grey Reef Shark (a Near Threatened and protected species), one juvenile Green Turtle (an Endangered and protected species), and one juvenile Olive Ridley Turtle (a Vulnerable and protected species). Thankfully, … Read More