Turtle Patient 247: Nahida, Adult Female Olive Ridley

Nahida was found entangled in a ghost net by Yambe, an excursion guide from Kudafushi Resort in Raa Atoll, while he was on a snorkeling trip
The Vitals
Admission Date: 10 December 2024
Patient Number: 247
Rescue Location: Raa Atoll
Reason: Found Entangled
Transport Method: Speedboat
Status: Current patient
Species: Olive ridley
Scientific Name: Lepidochelys olivacea
Sex: Female
Age: Adult
Length: 63 cm
Weight: 24.7 kg
The Adoptive Parents
Nahida has kindly been adopted by Christopher for Lisa, by Judit for Mohamed, by Vance for Jennifer, by Joanne for Emily, by Caro for Denis, by Hanna & Markus, by Kevin Surridge & Joanne Askham, by Linda for Charlie, Tori & Jack, by Joanna, Chris & Emily Furley, by Hannah & Abigail, for Grace, by Gary Pincombe, by Alexandra Kramer and by Janice for Hazel.
Nahida was found with her left front flipper entangled in a ghost net near our partner resort, JOALI BEING, in Raa Atoll. Her rescuer, Yambe, immediately contacted Abdulla (Swift) Hameed, our sea turtle biologist based at the resort, who assisted with the rescue and alerted our veterinary team for further assessment. Dr Naul determined that Nahida required medical attention and needed to be transported to the Rescue Centre. JOALI BEING arranged a speedboat to promptly transfer Nahida to the Rescue Centre in Baa Atoll.
Upon admission to the Rescue Centre, the veterinary team conducted a comprehensive health assessment and found that Nahida was suffering from a ligature injury to her left front flipper as a result of the entanglement. She is now receiving treatment, and we are closely monitoring her.
25 December 2024
After closely monitoring and stabilising Nahida’s condition over the past few days, we made the difficult decision to proceed with amputation surgery on her left front flipper, which had become severely entangled. We’re happy to report that the surgery went smoothly and Nahida is recovering well. She is showing positive signs of healing and our team will continue to monitor her progress closely to ensure her journey back to health remains on track.
12 January 2025
Nahida is recovering well with medical therapy and regular wound cleaning. While she is still adapting to her new location, Nahida does dive underwater sometimes, which is a good indication that her recovery is going well. She is often too shy to eat directly from the feeding tongs, however we are optimistic that she will be able to eat confidently with time.
9 February 2025
Nahida has been adjusting to her environment and eating more, though not yet consistently. We are thrilled to see her diving frequently and actively engaging with her environmental enrichment device. As her condition has stabilised, we will discontinue her medical therapy while continuing regular wound care for her amputation site.
Adopt Nahida
When you symbolically adopt one of our turtle patients you will receive:
- A personalised digital adoption certificate with the history of your adopted turtle patient
- A fact sheet about the species of sea turtle you have adopted
- Updates on how your adopted turtle’s recovery is going (if you wish)
- Your name featured on our website (if you wish)
- Notification in the case of a release
We ask for a minimum single donation of £50 to adopt a turtle patient. £50 will contribute to the cost of medical therapy for one patient for two weeks. You can also choose to make a monthly donation of your choice.
Please allow 7 days for the issuing of the certificate. Also note that we do not contact gift recipients directly.
By adopting one of our turtle patients you will contribute towards the cost of our patients’ veterinary care, medications, and transport. You will also help fund our core charitable objectives to protect sea turtles and their habitats through rescue & conservation medicine, clinical & scientific research, and education & outreach.