Rehabilitated sea turtles released after being rescued off UAE’s east coast

Fifteen green sea turtles have been released off Sharjah’s east coast after undergoing up to a year of rehabilitation for illness or injury.

Tracking devices were attached to the reptiles before they were set free in the Al Qurm Protected Area.

The turtles were rescued and restored to health through the Sharjah Strandings Response Programme run by the Environment and Protected Areas Authority, which also rescues seabirds, sea snakes, dolphins, porpoises and other marine life.

Fadi Yaghmour, a scientific researcher and conservation specialist with the EPAA, described animal releases as “the best part of the job”.

“It’s always rewarding,” he said. “We have had cases where animals were injured from boat strikes. They had external injuries on their carapace [shell] that were consistent with collision with marine vessels or propeller cuts.

“We also treated several turtles with amputated flippers – injuries that were directly linked to entanglement.

“In many cases, even a small piece of rope or fishing line can constrict a flipper, cut off circulation, and ultimately lead to the loss of the limb.”

Diseased or exhausted

Most of the species were picked up, however, because they were diseased or exhausted, perhaps after migrating. Research has shown that green sea turtles that forage in UAE waters migrate to nesting sites in Oman.

Show caption: A turtle about to be released on Sharjah's east coast. Court…

The releases were carried out late last month after the animals had spent between six months and a year undergoing rehabilitation.

In some cases the turtles simply needed rest, while for others significant veterinary care, including surgery, was required.

Intensive care takes place at Sharjah Safari Park before the animals are transferred to Khor Kalba Mangrove nature park, where they can be seen by the public. The EPAA is keen for the releases to shine a light on the centre, which opened in 2021.

Sheikh Haitham bin Saqr Al Qasimi, deputy head of the office of Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, and Sheikh Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, chairman of the Department of Government Relations, participated in the releases.

Ten more sea turtles are in rehabilitation and will be released later.

Seabirds rescued by the EPAA are looked after at Sharjah Safari Park, while sea snakes are taken to the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife.

The turtle releases were timed for when temperatures had dropped slightly. Mr Yaghmour said the mangrove channels could get “quite hot” in summer.

Show caption: A turtle having a tracker attached before its release. Court…

Although the latest release involved only green sea turtles, the EPAA also rehabilitates hawksbill, olive ridley and loggerhead turtles.

A sea turtle currently undergoing rehabilitation has a fishing hook embedded in its beak and another in its flipper. Mr Yaghmour said the hooks were a problem for all the species of turtle that the EPAA rescues.

They can also affect seabirds and domestic animals. The agency recently rescued a street cat with a hook embedded in her mouth.

Understanding seasonal patterns

EPAA staff discover injured or stranded animals while on patrol, or they may be reported to the organisation by the coastguard, beach hotel staff or the public. Mr Yaghmour said seabirds made up “the vast majority” of the creatures rescued.

Numbers often peak around December and January, when migrating common black-headed gulls arrive in the region.

EPAA researchers are analysing detailed information about the rescued animals to gain a better understanding of the seasonal patterns of strandings.

Globally, green sea turtle numbers have increased following decades of work to safeguard nesting beaches, prevent poaching and reduce accidental capture in fisheries.

A year ago, the International Union for Conservation of Nature reclassified the species as being of Least Concern in conservation terms, four decades after it had been moved into the Endangered category.

While numbers in the Gulf region appear to be stable, some populations elsewhere are classified as Near Threatened, Vulnerable or Endangered.

Show caption: Fifteen green sea turtles were released after undergoing up …

Threats to some of those populations include coastal development, climate change, egg harvesting and the turtle meat trade.

Mr Yaghmour, who is a member of the IUCN’s Marine Turtle Specialist Group, said the animals’ continued presence locally was important as the creatures provided ecosystem benefits.

“Green sea turtles, for example, will eat algae,” he said. “Algae are known to grow on hard rock surfaces. Those compete with coral reefs, which are important for fisheries.

“So if we have a decline in green sea turtles, there’s less of a control on algae, and it will increase the competition intensity against coral reefs and that will have reverberations on fisheries and food security.”

Similarly, he said sea turtles “play a vital role in maintaining healthy seagrass meadows through grazing”.

“Without them, seagrass can become patchy and more susceptible to disease, reducing the quality of important nursery habitats for fish,” he said.

“Sea turtles are therefore not just species of conservation concern; they are ecosystem stewards whose ecological role supports biodiversity, fisheries, and food security.”