The Balearic Islands Wildlife Recovery Consortium (COFIB) today released five sea turtles that have been recovered over the last few months at the Palma Aquarium. Four of the five turtles were found entangled in plastic or nets, which involved the amputation of the affected flipper. One of them also expelled more than two metres of rope that it had ingested. The fifth specimen was admitted due to positive buoyancy caused by gas accumulation and recovered after an evacuation of more than 5 litres of air.<\/p>\n
COFIB, through the Palma Aquarium, has recorded the stranding of 37 live turtles this year. By islands, 20 have been counted in Mallorca, 9 in Eivissa and Formentera and 8 in Menorca. As for the causes, 28 of them were due to entanglement and 5 to floating after having ingested foreign bodies. One was accidentally caught in a fishing net and another had ingested rope. The other two suffered trauma.<\/p>\n
Of these, 28 have been recovered and released, four died during the first few days in hospital due to the severity of their injuries and two are still recovering. The other three have been released by private individuals who did not notify the authorities. It is important to remember that in the event of finding an injured turtle, call 112 to activate the action protocol. It is important not to try to disentangle the turtle, as this may cause further damage.<\/p>\n
Even so, this year the number of turtles released by private individuals has decreased compared to the previous two years. While in 2020 there were 11, in 2021 there were six and this year 3.<\/p>\n\n\t\t