DUBAI, UAE — Three critically-endangered Hawksbill turtles rescued by Emirates Global Aluminium’s (EGA) sustainability teams at the company’s beach in Al Taweelah have been released back to the sea after receiving specialist care at Jumeirah Group’s Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project in Burj Al Arab Jumeirah.

EGA monitors turtle nesting at the beach in Al Taweelah each year, protecting nests and carefully capturing injured or unwell turtles so they can receive care.

The three turtles were amongst a group of 30 released back to the sea after receiving the needed care at the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project, which has been successfully tending to sick or injured sea turtles since the inception of its dedicated program in 2004, in collaboration with Dubai’s Wildlife Protection Office, the Dubai Falcon Hospital and the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory.

To date almost 2,000 turtles have been returned safely to the Arabian Gulf, with annual rescue figures averaging over 200 turtles. Of the species tended to in the facility, the Hawksbill and Green turtles are the most predominant, while Loggerhead and Olive Ridley turtles are also occasionally brought in.

Since 2011, nearly 100 Hawksbill turtles have laid eggs on the beach at EGA’s Al Taweelah site and almost 7,000 baby turtles have hatched. So far this year, over 630 kilograms of waste washed up from the sea has been removed from the beach to protect the nesting sites. — SG