News
Sea Shepherd rescues injured sea turtle on World Turtle Day
Wednesday, 31 May, 2017
While investigating the activities of an industrial purse seine fishing vessel in Liberia as part of Operation Sola Stella, the M/Y Bob Barker crew sighted a sea turtle struggling on the ocean surface.
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Sea Shepherd crew rescue an injured turtle. Photo by Alejandra Gimeno/Sea Shepherd.
Crew on the M/Y Bob Barker prepare to bring the injured turtle on board. Photo by Michael Rauch/Sea Shepherd.
Swimming the injured turtle to safety Photo by Michael Rauch/Sea Shepherd.
The turtle is transported to Monrovia's Turtle Rescue Center to recover from its injuries. Photo by Alejandra Gimeno/Sea Shepherd.
The Sea Shepherd crew named the injured loggerhead turtle "Stella" after Operation Sola Stella. Photo by Alejandra Gimeno/Sea Shepherd.
Sea Shepherd crew and Liberian Coast Guard transporting the turtle to the Sanctuary. Photo by Alejandra Gimeno/Sea Shepherd.
When divers entered the water for a closer look they discovered that the turtle's front right flipper was either broken or dislocated; and its shell appeared to have air trapped underneath it. These are common injuries for sea turtles, either sustained by ship-strikes or when roughly discarded from a fishing vessel as by-catch.
The sea turtle, who the crew named "Stella", was brought aboard the Bob Barker, where a transportation crate had been constructed. She was then immediately rushed to a rehabilitation center in Monrovia run by a Norwegian veterinarian specialized in wildlife rescue. Stella the sea turtle will be released back into the sea once she has made a full recovery at the sanctuary.
Watch the video below to see the rescue crew in action!
World Turtle Day is celebrated every May 23rd to to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats around the world. You can learn more about Sea Shepherd's turtle rescue campaign Operation Jairo by watching the documentary, Why Just One?