Turtle rescued off Gozo and NTM Gozo Section win ‘Pride of Gozo’ award

by Gozo News · March 2, 2025

The Loggerhead sea turtle above was rescued on Saturday off the coast of Gozo. Kristine, as she is now called, was named after one of the Nature Trust – FEE Malta – Gozo Section volunteers who passed away earlier this year and was a volunteer at the turtle nests.

Kristine, badly entangled in debris, was spotted at around 11am by a passenger on the Gozo Channel ferry who then called NTM for assistance. Gozo volunteers immediately went into action.

Gozo Section volunteers said that the Environment and Resources Authority also headed out to look for this loggerhead turtle however it was all in vain. In the meantime the Gozo volunteers scouted the coast to see if there are any signs of Kristine.

At around 3.45pm, Kristine was spotted once again by other passengers on a Gozo Channel ferry

This time Kristine was rescued successfully thanks to the Armed Forces of Malta and NTM volunteers both in Gozo and Malta, who acted accordingly and promptly.

Nature Trust – FEE Malta – Gozo Section thanked the ERA for their support. “A special thanks goes to the initial caller Rosita Xerri who was very concerned for the wellbeing of the turtle.”

The NGO also thanked all the other callers on the Gozo Channel ferry who phoned in and made sure Kristine was reported to them and “last but not least our volunteer rescuers.” Turtle rescued off Gozo and NTM Gozo Section win 'Pride of Gozo' award Meanwhile, in recognition of their constant work in favour of wildlife and the environment, Nature Trust – FEE Malta – Gozo Section received a ‘Pride of Gozo’ award under the environmental category from the Rotary Club of Gozo.

The team said, “we are so thankful to even be nominated, so to win was a big surprise.”

The Gozo team expressed thanks to “each and every one of our Gozo Wildlife Rescue Volunteers and our Turtle Nest Monitoring volunteers all the hard work and effort they have put in to help our local wildlife has been amazing. We are so very proud of our team.”

Nature Trust – FEE Malta – Gozo Section concluded by saying “a big thank you also to those who nominated us for the award, and to the Rotary club for the wonderful event. There were lots of very deserving winners and nominees, and it was lovely to see a little about all the hard work being done in Gozo.”