Participation at 4th Interreg IPA Adrion SAMESEA Project Meeting in Podgorica and Capacity Building Course
Last week in February, the Blue World Institute team members...
Over the past three days, our Sea Turtle Rescue Centre has received four new patients suffering from cold-stunning syndrome, a condition caused by a rapid drop in temperature, due to the sudden change in weather and stormy notherly winds. When the sea temperature falls below 13°C, sea turtles become sluggish and struggle to cope with strong winds and rough seas. Cold-stunned turtles become weak and float on the surface, carried by the waves, making them more susceptible to injury and infection. These newly admitted individuals have joined the large number of existing patients, bringing the total number of loggerhead turtles undergoing recovery at the rehabilitation centre to 12. Our expert team has many years of experience and knowledge and works diligently every day on their treatment and rehabilitation. We also use modern equipment such as a therapeutic-surgical laser to significantly improve the quality of care for injured turtles and contribute to the success of their recovery.
In addition to treatment, we place great emphasis on research and species conservation. During the recovery process, we monitor the prevalence of infectious diseases in sea turtles in the Adriatic Sea by taking swabs and samples. Once they are returned to the sea, rehabilitated turtles are fitted with satellite transmitters so that we can track their movements and gain a better understanding of their habitat requirements. The centre also involves students of biological and veterinary disciplines, helping to develop new experts in sea turtle conservation.
Despite our expertise, hard work and existing equipment, we currently have limited accommodation capacity. The available space restricts our ability to admit more individuals and also limits the possibility of opening the centre to visitors. This means we are missing an important opportunity to educate the public about the role of the rehabilitation centre and the need to protect these species, whose survival depends on our conservation efforts. We are also missing an opportunity to further strengthen the recognition of the island of Lošinj as a place that is actively contributing to nature and sea turtle protection. Additionally, the lack of certain diagnostic equipment, such as an X-ray machine and a blood analyser, makes it difficult to assess the animals’ health quickly and accurately. Furthermore, to give cold-stunned turtles like those we are currently receiving the best chance of survival and successful recovery, we urgently need to acquire an intensive care unit to gradually warm them up and bring their body temperature to optimal levels.
We are grateful to everyone who has supported our work in saving sick and injured sea turtles so far, in any way. Every form of support, whether through purchasing or maintaining equipment, providing adequate space, or other forms of collaboration, brings us closer to providing these animals with the conditions they deserve and to developing a centre that can play an important role in education and the sustainable development of the community.
We invite you to follow us on social media, where we will keep you updated on the condition of our patients in the coming period. For all the above reasons, additional funding for the rehabilitation centre’s operation is urgently needed, and every donation makes a significant contribution and difference! You can support our sea turtle rehabilitation centre by making a bank transfer.
Payment details:
Recipient: Blue World Institute, Kaštel 24, 51551 Veli Lošinj
Recipient account number (IBAN): HR3324020061500088235
SWIFT: ESBCHR22
Payment description: Donation
