Three new intensive care units have been set up to help give baby turtles a better chance of survival, as climate change threatens the population. 

Nature Trust Malta announced the new equipment that will also help other young wildlife during the release of an adult turtle at Ġnejna Bay on Tuesday.

"With turtles being an endangered species and now that climate change is too having an impact on the turtle population, every little turtle we save is important," Nature Trust's executive president Vincent Attard said.

Some baby turtles hatched on beaches in Malta are born weak and often suffocate under the sand. At the moment, heat waves are causing hardship to protected wildlife like turtles, Attard said.

The new intensive care units, donated by the British High Commission, will help these weak hatchlings survive, recover and eventually be released into the wild.

Beachgoers watch on as Shelley makes her way towards the sea at Ġnejna Bay. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Shelley, a turtle rescued by fishermen at Qawra two months ago, was returned to the wild this morning after being treated for injuries. The three-year-old loggerhead turtle was found entangled in marine debris, with part of it wrapped around her right front flipper.  

Speaking at the releasing event, British High-Commissioner Cathy Ward said that the turtle's injuries "highlight the importance of proper waste disposal in protecting our seas.” 

Nature Trust rescues injured and weak animals from the wild and rehabilitates them before re-releasing them into the wild. 

The intensive care chambers are specifically built for small animals such as hedgehogs, bats, baby turtles and even weak hoglets.  

Each chamber has humidity and temperature control, oxygen tanks and other features. 

Two weeks ago, another loggerhead turtle, Yvonne, was also re-released following ten months of medical treatment.