[Animals] Specialists came together to save the lives of 63 sea turtles in Manabí

[#Wittels-]

The last of the 63 green sea turtles that were rescued from the surroundings of the Isla de la Plata, in Manabí, returned to the sea. Biologists and scientists supported this work this Wednesday, October 13.

 

According to specialists, 44 of the 63 turtles treated were affected by blows or hooks embedded in some parts of their bodies. They received help from more than 15 specialists who mobilized in expeditions carried out since last August.

 

Those who were behind this effort were personnel of veterinarians, park rangers and volunteers from the Machalilla National Park (PNM), its Center for the Rescue and Rehabilitation of Marine Fauna headed by Rubén Alemán, and the organizations WildAid and Equilibrio Azul, who joined in this cause.

Manuel Bravo, director of WildAid for Latin America, described this process as unprecedented due to the multiple efforts to help save marine fauna in that area of the Manabi coast.

“23 turtles were serious cases that had to be transferred to the Marine Fauna Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Salango, for intensive treatment that included surgical intervention. The center even requested support from citizens to donate medicine, since they also had more than 60 turtles undergoing treatment. The good news is that they were all cured and released into the ocean, ”Bravo said.

Each organization helped in this process. For example, WildAid supported this expedition with medicine, anesthetics, antibiotics, rotors, and reagents for sea turtle health testing. In addition, he was in charge of facilitating the food and logistics that will install the clinic and the operation of the expedition.

Meanwhile, Equilibrio Azul personnel were in charge of the search for sea turtles around the island, for which they provided the Esperanza boat where the turtles were measured and marked.

According to scientific data, the island of La Plata has the largest aggregation of green turtles on the Ecuadorian coast. Since 2015, WildAid and the PNM have implemented the marine control and surveillance plan around the island of La Plata, and in permanent patrols it was common to find tangled turtles and hooks.

 

On the other hand, the organization Equilibrio Azul has developed since 2004 research and protection tasks on the island such as placement of mooring buoys, coral studies, studies of seabirds, photoidentification and acoustic and satellite telemetry of birostris mantas, monitoring of fishing, research and conservation of sea turtles. (I)

To attend to these emergencies in the Marine Fauna Rescue and Rehabilitation Center of the PNM, a veterinary medical team, park rangers and volunteers were installed, in addition to the operation of a mobile clinic on the island of La Plata to evaluate the veterinary health of the turtles. extract the hooks, apply the medicines and take samples from the scientific information record.

 

Link: https://www.eluniverso.com/larevista/ecologia/especialistas-se-unieron-para-salvar-la-vida-de-63-tortugas-marinas-en-manabi-nota/?modulo=lo-ultimo-subseccion&plantilla=ampliada&seccion=La Revista&subseccion=Ecología