A 19-year-old loggerhead turtle by the name of Tama has recently been released at Golden Bay. The turtle has been in rehabilitation since October 2015 following a head injury, a shell crack and a severed flipper.
Tama spent several months at the Turtle Rehabilitation Unit, Forti San Luċjan in Marsaxlokk, where it had to be forced fed after refusing to eat.
The turtle was cared for by Nature Trust FEE Malta and the Wildlife rehabilitation team that nursed it back to health under the medical observation of veterinary surgeon Anthony Gruppetta.
The turtle, which weighs around 47kg, has been fitted with a satellite tracker sponsored by Mapfre Malta so that its journey back into the wild could be tracked also for research purposes.
Tama was released in the presence of 40 students who are currently participating in the Young Reporters for the Environment – Litter Less campaign. Present for the occasion were also a group of students from an informal NGO – Higher Youths that have kindly sponsored the turtle’s rehabilitation programme and have been following closely its progress.
So happy to set Tama free again... a happy day for us all
Prior to the release, students and volunteers carried out a clean-up of the beach were they also logged information on the prepared data sheets to investigate the various waste streams that end up on our beaches.
Nature Trust president said that while it is sad to say goodbye to Tama, “Yet we are so happy to set him free again as a now healthy turtle. We called him Tama (hope), because when we rescued him he was in bad shape and close to death. Only our determination and dedication of the Volunteers and VET managed to get him back to full health and adapt with one missing flipper. This is a happy day for us all. He leaves me with a memory that I nearly lost one finger while force feeding him, but seeing him depart free and in full strength is a motivation for us all to keep on our work. Thanks goes to Mapfre for their full support to track him and follow his new adventures. A tracker costs close to €5,000. Such support is truly great.”
Felipe Navarro, president and CEO from Mapfre Middlesea, said: “It really was an amazing experience, and in some ways inspiring, to finally see Tama being released out into the ocean.
“The fact that this turtle was found severely injured and is now able to venture out into the sea as a result of the sheer determination and dedication shown by Nature Trust, is nothing short of inspiring. Now, we will follow Tama and see where he will travel to during his long-awaited journey.”