SZN - Movements of rehabilitated sea turtles

A project of Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn in conjunction with the partners and sponsors detailed below.

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Introduction

Apart from the rescue and rehabilitation of sea turtles, the "Turtle Point" is also committed to basic research on the Mediterranean loggerhead turtle whilst making environmental awareness efforts necessary for successful conservation. Research initiated in 1996 with a project on satellite tracking of rehabilitated turtles. Since then a total of 27 turtles were released not only from Italy but also from Greece, Tunisia and Libya. Some turtles have been shown to make extensive journeys in the whole Mediterranean basin, while others showed high fidelity to local feeding grounds in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Tracking continues to understand the ability of turtles to move after rehabilitation and to discover important migratory routes, feeding and overwintering areas.

Project Partners

Bagnolifutura - society for urban transformation, Napoli, dedicated to transform and develop the area of a former iron industry to create a park with a series of cultural and touristic facilities. Bagnolifutura hosts and helped to create the Turtle Point of the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn in the former area of a once prosperos iron industry.



The Sea Turtle Rescue Center (DEKAMER)- DEKAMER was established in 2009 in Dalyan, Mugla-Turkey after a protocol was agreed upon between the Directorate of the Conservation of Nature and National Natural Parks and the Environmental Protection Agency for Special Areas of Turkish Ministry of Environment of Forestry, the Municipality of the Dalyan, and Pamukkale University. Later in the year, the the Higher Educational Council of Turkey officially recognized the rescue center and this constitution was published in the Turkish Official Newspaper. Despite having nesting and foraging grounds along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, only one turtle rescue centre has been established following the RAC/SPA (Regional Activity Center/Special Protected Areas) guidelines (RAC/SPA, 2004). This center is to be set up for year-round activity and to help educate the public about conservation efforts. DEKAMER will act as the regular monitoring of the Dalyan beach for nesting activities by accepting volunteers from all Universities. Any injured turtles found along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey are also brought the center and will take care of their necessary medical treatment and rehabilitation. DEKAMER is open for both national and international collaborations in all types of scientific studies.

Centro Regionale di Recupero Fauna Selvatica e Tartarughe Marine, Comisio, Sicily - The center was founded in 2000 and is managed by the Sicilian Wildlife Fond, aiming at releasing and re-introducing turtles back to the sea. The centre hosts a hospital for wild animals in premises made available by the city of Comiso, and as such recovers wild animals, including sea turtles, in difficulty, cures and rehabitilates them so that they can be released back into nature. The center is coordinated by the naturalist Gianni Insacco and is run by volunteers of the Wildlife Fund, assisted by a veterinary consultant.

Project Sponsors

Carpisa, a trade mark of Kuvera s.p.a., was set up in 2001. The company's mission is to create and support a qualified, selected distribution network for woman and man collections of trendy handbags, suitcases and fashion accessories. Since the very beginning, a small turtle has been the logo of Carpisa.