In honour of World Sea Turtle Day, dozens of rehabilitated turtles were released into the sea in Dubai on Sunday morning. A total of 65 turtles made their way back into the Arabian Gulf with the help of the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project and the Jumeirah Group, while guests from the <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/food/meet-the-three-chefs-breathing-new-life-into-burj-al-arab-1.864084">Burj Al Arab</a>, Madinat Jumeirah and Jumeirah Beach Hotel looked on. “These turtles are generally turtles that wash up throughout the year throughout the UAE,” says Gerhard Beukes, from the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project. “Predominantly we have hawksbill turtles which are native to the region.” Turtles can be in the care of rehabilitation teams from anywhere between four months and four years. Sunday June 16 marks World Sea Turtle Day, which aims to raise awareness of the impact plastic and waste is having on oceans. Six out of seven species of marine turtle are currently threatened with extinction. The Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project (DTRP) is based at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah and Madinat Jumeirah and is run in collaboration with Dubai’s Wildlife Protection Office, with essential veterinary support provided by the Dubai Falcon Clinic and the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory. The project has been running in its current form since 2004 and has so far seen the release of more than 1,600 rescued sea turtles back into Dubai’s waters. Most of the turtles they treat was up on the region’s beaches sick or injured. The DTRP is currently the only project of its kind in the Middle East and Red Sea region.
