Raalhu

Raalhu, meaning “wave” in Dhivehi, is an adult female olive ridley turtle. She was found entangled in a ghost net near our partner resort Six Senses Laamu in Laamu Atoll. Our Laamu sea turtle biologist, Julian, safely retrieved her from the water and promptly called the veterinary team for an assessment. Given that she had deep ligature injuries on her right front flipper with a mix of fishing line and mesh tightly wrapped around it, we decided to free her from the larger net but left the plastic around her flipper in place to prevent further trauma or bleeding until the veterinary team could safely remove it.

Raalhu flew on the “Flying Turtle” to Malé the next day and then onto Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu in Baa Atoll, where our Marine Turtle Rescue Centre is based. Upon arrival, the team noticed that Raalhu had a plastic cap stuck inside her beak, which prevented her from fully closing her mouth. This was carefully removed, providing her with much comfort.

Following a comprehensive health assessment, we determined that Raalhu is suffering from anaemia and a gastrointestinal condition, likely due to plastic ingestion and starvation. She also has an injury to her right hind flipper, which, despite having exposed bone, shows signs of healing and no obvious fractures were noted. Her worst injury is to her front right flipper, which is partially amputated and presents with a fractured humerus.

Raalhu has ingested fishing line, and although she has not ingested any hooks, the lines can be just as deadly. Raalhu is still in critical condition, and we are closely monitoring her progress. For now, she is resting and getting acclimated to her new enclosure.

7 April 2024
Raalhu passed the fishing line and other plastic debris in her faeces. We initiated medical therapy for Raalhu’s anaemia and a gastrointestinal condition which she is suffering from. The injury to her right hind flipper, despite having an exposed bone has shown good signs of healing and presents no obvious fractures. However, Raalhu remains in critical condition and the veterinary team is closely monitoring her progress.

13 April 2024
This morning we unfortunately lost Raalhu. Despite our efforts, she continued to deteriorate quickly and did not survive her injuries. We performed a post-mortem and discovered she had ingested another 3 fishing lines which severely damaged her intestines by causing them to fold on themselves and restrict blood flow, ultimately leading to tissue death.

Raalhu is a tragic, but important reminder of the dangers sea turtles face from human waste, and the importance of responsible disposal to safeguard our oceans.