The earliest ancestor of modern day sea turtles appeared about 120 million years ago. Interestingly, these species laid hard-shelled eggs, as opposed to the soft-shelled eggs that we see now. Then a big mass extinction event around 66 million years ago wiped out about 50 percent of plants and animals. But not these guys – sea turtles managed to survive! … Read More
Sea Turtles Stories, a podcast from Olive Ridley Project, launches on 16th June 2024. The series delves into the world of sea turtles, featuring lively conversations with experts who offer insights into various aspects of sea turtles’ life cycle and conservation practices.
Did you know that sea turtles have been around since the days of the dinosaurs? Sadly, they are now threatened with extinction. Welcome to Sea Turtle Stories, a podcast where sea turtle experts from around the globe help us uncover the lives of sea turtles and the conservation practices associated with them – from the mysterious lost years of hatchlings, … Read More
New Arrivals Zeliya – Arrived 22 April 2023 Zeliya is a sub-adult olive ridley that was found entangled in a ghost net by the staff of Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort, in North Malé Atoll. She had deep ligature injuries to her right front and back flippers, with bone exposed on both. There is also an extensive wound around her neck … Read More
Released Thiki – Arrived 2 April 2023, Released 11 April 2023 Thiki, which in Dhivehi means “spots”, was found floating and unable to dive by the staff at Constance Moofushi Maldives in South Ari Atoll. Luckily, Thiki had no external injuries, and her blood work came back normal except that she was dehydrated. Her radiographs showed faecal impaction, which means she was constipated, so we … Read More
Released Ekaanlo – Arrived 22 January 2023, Released 19 February After three weeks at the Rescue Centre, Ekaanlo, our only hawksbill patient, was diving comfortably and eating well. Once her last health check including X-rays and blood work came in clear, she was released from the beach at Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu, right by our house reef. This way she … Read More
Released Kakuni – Arrived 20 July 2022, Released 22nd January 2023 Kakuni’s diving skills had improved considerably and she was released on 22nd January. We opted for a beach release so that we could monitor her first few minutes in the water as she was a very stressed turtle when handled. However, Kakuni did great. She took a few seconds … Read More
On October 31st, we held our first multi-atoll sea turtle festival in the Maldives called ‘Vaavoshi’, meaning sea turtle in Dhivehi. The festival took place simultaneously across eight different atolls in partnership with local schools. The aim of the festival is to spread awareness about key marine habitats and ecosystems, the critical role that sea turtles play in maintaining these … Read More
Released Kandu – Arrived 17 December 2022, Released 10 January 2023 Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu’s excursion guide Simaah while out on her snorkeling trip, spotted a juvenile hawksbill floating by, unable to dive. Fortunately, both the resort’s Marine Educator, Rosie, and our Veterinary Nurse, Lauren, were on hand to assist with the rescue. The turtle, named Kandu (meaning ocean in Dhivehi) was quickly … Read More
Heidi was one of our most widely loved sea turtle patients. He was admitted to the Marine Turtle Rescue Centre in 2018 with severe ghost gear entanglement injuries and was deemed un-releasable due to one missing and one non-functional front flipper. He was transferred to Plymouth, UK, to live out his days in the National Marine Aquarium.
