WWF Sea Turtle Rescue Centre in Lampedusa

Since 1996 WWF Italy Sea Turtle Rescue Centre set up in Lampedusa, just in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Each year we host 50-100 volunteers from different countries, helping in all activities. Annually we receive 150-200 loggerhead turtles, and we do several surgeries, mostly connected with longline interaction and pollution. Here, thanks to the precious cooperation of Fishermen, with Prof. Antonio Di Bello from Bari University, Vet Dept., new surgical techniques are developed. We are strongly involved in sea turtle medicine practise: in order to improve medical administration and emergency organization we organized the 1st Sea Turtle Medicine Workshop hosted during the 3rd Mediterranean Conference in Tunisia, followed by ST Medicine Meetings in Lampedusa. Since the 30th Annual ST Symposium in India, we coordinate the Sea Turtle Medicine and rehab Workshop, held during each Symposium. We collaborate with Italian and foreign institutions in different field researches (genetics, population dinamics, fishery interaction, medicine, awarness).

Working with sea turtles since 1996