The Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project (DTRP) has collaborated with the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo in Dubai Mall and released 40 endangered sea turtles into the Arabian Gulf next to Jumeirah Al Naseem to celebrate World Sea Turtle Day.
For the past three years, the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo in Dubai Mall has supported the DTRP and this year raised awareness of the project by hosting five of the turtles as part of their rehabilitation process.
The four juvenile hawksbills and one amputee juvenile green turtle named Jane were displayed in a large exhibit to raise awareness about the plight of the sea turtles in the region and also to promote the project via literature around the exhibit. In support of the project and research, Dubai Mall Aquarium then purchased five satellite tags for the turtles to enable the team to track their progress in the wild.
Warren Baverstock, Burj Al Arab Jumeirah’s Aquarium Operations Manager, said: “The exhibit at Dubai Mall, which highlights DTRP’s rehabilitation efforts is designed to educate the many visitors to Dubai Mall on the plight of these turtles. After a month rehabilitation period, the turtles were returned to the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah aquarium, fitted with a satellite tag and then released back into the Arabian Gulf. Their movements can now be monitored and followed on Facebook.”
All sea turtles displayed were rescued by the DTRP based at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah and Jumeirah Al Naseem. The project is run in conjunction with the Wildlife Protection Office and is the only one of its kind in the Middle East and Red Sea region. Essential veterinary services are provided by Dubai Falcon Clinic and Central Veterinary Research Laboratory.
The aim of the exhibition is to educate visitors about turtles, their habitats and global conservation efforts in the fight against extinction.. The day-to-day running of the DTRP and the animal husbandry is managed by Burj Al Arab’s dedicated aquarium team.
More than 1,300 sea turtles have been successfully returned to the sea over the past ten years since the project’s inception. The turtles have all been rescued from the shores of the UAE and nursed back to health by the DTRP one of the longest standing corporate social responsibility initiatives in the region and the only project of its kind in the Middle East and Red Sea region.
About DTRP:
The project impacts the national, regional and international sea turtle populations by increasing the number of animals in the environment that would have otherwise perished. Only one out of 1000 sea turtle hatchlings will reach sexual maturity. By saving these animals and releasing them back into the wild we are increasing the chances of the number of turtles that could possibly reaching breeding age. The DTRP is based at Burj Al Arab and Madinat Jumeirah and is run in collaboration with Dubai’s Wildlife Protection Office, with essential veterinary support provided by the Dubai Falcon Hospital and the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory. http://www.jumeirah.com/turtles
About Jumeirah Group:
Jumeirah Group, the global luxury hotel company and a member of Dubai Holding, operates a world-class portfolio of hotels and resorts including the flagship Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts manages properties in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, UAE, and Kuwait in the Middle East; Baku, Frankfurt, Bodrum, Istanbul, London, Mallorca (Spain) and Rome in Europe; the Maldives and Shanghai in Asia. Jumeirah Group also runs the luxury serviced residences brand Jumeirah LivingTM with properties in London and Dubai; the new contemporary lifestyle hotel brand VENU; the wellness brand Talise; Jumeirah Restaurants; Wild Wadi WaterparkTM; The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management; and SiriusTM, its global loyalty programme. Future openings include luxury and lifestyle hotels in China, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Russia and the UAE. www.jumeirah.com
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