Scientists carry a sea turtle earlier than releasing them into the ocean on May 21, 2022, within the Tunisian coastal metropolis of Sfax.
Three rescued loggerhead turtles had been launched into the Mediterranean off Tunisia on Sunday, one with a monitoring beacon glued to its shell to assist researchers higher defend the threatened species.
The primary dangers to sea turtles in Tunisia are linked to fisheries, since they develop into entangled in nets—together with the three that had been launched into the wild.
The migratory species, which might reside to as previous as 45, are listed as “susceptible” within the Red List of threatened species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The turtles’ launch was watched by a crowd of some 50 individuals, a lot of them kids, carried out by a specialised care centre in Tunisia’s japanese port of Sfax.
Some 35 turtles have been cared for on the centre prior to now 12 months as a part of the Mediterranean-wide Life Med Turtle challenge.
Environmental activists helped carry the heavy turtles down the seaside, earlier than the animals crawled the ultimate distance in the direction of the ocean.
All of them had been tagged, however one among them additionally had a phone-sized monitoring beacon glued to its onerous shell, which can observe its progress because it strikes throughout the ocean.
“This beacon, given to us by the University of Primorska in Slovenia, will permit us to observe this turtle in its actions,” mentioned Imed Jribi, a science professor from the University of Sfax and a coordinator of the Life Med Turtle challenge.
Scientists glued a monitoring monitor to one of many turtle’s shells.
“Identifying wintering, grazing and migration routes performs an necessary position in defending this endangered species,” Jribi mentioned.
As effectively as loggerhead turtles, two different turtle species are discovered within the Mediterranean, the inexperienced and leatherback turtle.
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© 2022 AFP
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Turtles freed in Tunisia with monitoring monitor (2022, May 22)
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