Lifeguard rescues ‘Caretta caretta’ sea turtle: taken to the Aquarium of Genoa
Genoa. On Friday 13 May a Caretta caretta turtle weighing 45 kg was rescued in Diano Marina and admitted to the Aquarium of Genoa.
the animal, at the mercy of the waves, was rescued by the lifeguard and the competent authorities and biologists of the Delfini del Ponente association were contacted and immediately intervened.
The animal was then transferred to the Genoa Aquarium in the evening thanks to the intervention of the Forestry Carabinieri – CITES service
The medical-scientific staff of the Aquarium of Genoa welcomed the turtle and immediately administered fluids for rehydration.
He is carrying out all the checks and tests to be able to diagnose the cause of the animal’s considerable debilitation. The presence of many barnacles, called dog teeth, on the carapace and on the beak, presume that it had long since also had the ability to swim and dive.
The Caretta caretta will remain hospitalized in reserved prognosis in the curatorial area of the Aquarium where it will be followed and cared for by the staff of biologists and veterinarians.
The Aquarium of Genoa has been working on sea turtles in difficulty since 1994 and since 2009 it has been the institutional referent for the Liguria Region for the hospitalization of the Caretta caretta (State-Regions agreement), carried out in collaboration with the Carabinieri CITES service. In 2017, together with the Livorno Aquarium, also managed by Costa Edutainment, it received national recognition for this activity from the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
For over three years, the regional command of the Coast Guard of Liguria and the Aquarium of Genoa have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to define an operational level and the methods of intervention in the event of reporting, sighting or finding of marine fauna specimens injured or in difficulty, as well as promoting a common intent, a message of maximum environmental sensitivity to stimulate the sea user to a radical cultural change aimed at maximum respect for the marine environment.
We remind you that any sighting of turtles or other animals in difficulty at sea and on the coasts must be reported immediately to the Coast Guard, by contacting the number 1530 active 24 hours a day.