Dhontha

Dhontha, which means “Big sister” in Dhivehi, is an adult female olive ridley. She was rescued by Deep Blue Divers from our partner resort Six Senses Kanuhura near Huravalhi island in Lhaviyani Atoll. When they found her, they promptly called our sea turtle biologist, Afrah, who is based in the resort. Afrah coordinated the rescue with the veterinary team.

At first, Dhontha was taken to nearby Atoll Marine Centre where she was cared for by the AMC veterinary team. However, on 6th December, they transferred her to us at the Marine Turtle Rescue Centre in Baa Atoll.

Dhontha is in overall good body condition and her blood work is acceptable, but her X-rays showed something alarming: She has a large hook lodged in her oesophaghus that will require surgical removal.

Dhontha is being stabilised to undergo surgery soon. So far she has settled in well. She is resting on the bottom of her tank and using all her flippers adequately.

8 January 2024
Dhontha’s progress has been quite positive. Her blood work is showing improvement and her wounds are largely healed. Despite this, we maintain our routine wound cleaning and administer cold laser therapy to further enhance the healing process.

The surgical site is holding up well, and we anticipate the removal of her sutures in a couple of weeks. Dhontha is enjoying the additional space in the larger tank, though her discerning palate remains with a distinct preference for prawns. We’re pleased with her overall recovery and look forward to continued improvement.

26 January 2024
Dhontha’s surgical site and ligature injuries are now fully healed. She has been enjoying the enrichment we provide in her tank and finally started eating all different food items, which means she has been gaining steady weight, now at 38kg!

Dhontha had her final round of X-rays, blood work and a full physical exam yesterday and was declared ready to go home! She was released from the beach today.