Turtle patient 264: Kuda, post-hatchling, olive ridley
Kuda is a very young olive ridley turtle, who was found entangled in a ghost net in North Malé Atoll, in December 2025. She suffered wounds to her flippers from the net, and was transferred to our Rescue Centre in Baa Atoll for medical care.
The vitals
Admission Date: 29 December 2025
Patient Number: 264
Rescue Location: North Malé Atoll
Reason: Found Entangled
Transport Method: Speedboat & Seaplane
Status: Released 4 February 2026
Species: Olive ridley
Scientific Name: Lepidochelys olivacea
Sex: Unknown
Age: Post-hatchling
Length: 15 cm
Weight: 0.35 kg
Kuda’s story
Kuda is a post-hatchling olive ridley turtle found entangled in a ghost net in North Malé Atoll in December 2025. She was rescued by a gardening team working on the beach at One&Only Reethi Rah. They handed her over to our on-site Sea Turtle Biologist, Erin. Together with our veterinary team, Erin transferred Kuda to our Marine Turtle Rescue Centre at Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu in Baa Atoll, for medical care.
Kuda has ligature wounds on the right front flipper and both hind flippers, with the most severe injury affecting the left hind flipper. She is now receiving our expert medical care, and we are optimistic for her recovery.
11 January 2026
Kuda will be transferred to another ORP veterinary facility in the Maldives, the Sea Turtle Care Centre at JOALI BEING in Raa Atoll. She is currently in a stable condition, and this move is intended to offer her a more spacious and tranquil environment to support her continued recovery. At the Sea Turtle Care Centre, her progress will be carefully monitored by one of our associate veterinary surgeons.
4 February 2026
We have some truly heartwarming news about Kuda, one of our youngest patients. This tiny olive ridley post-hatchling arrived in desperate condition after becoming severely entangled, with injuries that threatened her left hind flipper. We started intensive daily treatments, working carefully to save Kuda’s injured limbs. After transferring her to our Sea Turtle Care Centre at JOALI BEING, Kuda’s recovery took off. It was wonderful to watch her rediscover her natural instincts – diving down to grab food and settling comfortably at the bottom of the tank to rest, just as a healthy sea turtle should.
Kuda healed so well and so quickly that today, on February 4th, we were able to give her a boat release – taking her out to deeper waters where a young olive ridley has the very best chance of thriving. For a post-hatchling who nearly lost everything before her ocean journey even began, this was the happy ending we’d all hoped for.
Fun fact: Kuda ( ކުޑަ ) means “small” in Dhivehi.
Kuda’s adopters
Kuda has kindly been adopted by Duncan & Amanda Sloane, by Sarah & Hans, by Kerstin Hardt, by Raphael and for Sabrina.
