Two of Nature Trust Malta's rescued Loggerhead Turtles have been released back into the sea – they were known as Mr Green Jr and Antonio.

Mr Green Jr is a young turtle who was rescued in July this year at St Georges Bay. He was found trapped in a large discarded nylon bag, had a deep restriction injury to one of his front flippers and had also swallowed a fishing hook and line.

Antonio is a juvenile turtle who was found floating between Dingli Cliffs and Filfla in September and like Mr Green Jr, had also swallowed a fishing hook and line. Antonio was named after the team's late colleague Antonio Caselli who was passionate about turtle rescue and rehab, and and Nature Trust Malta thanked the family Caselli for their donations and continued support.

Veterinary Surgeon Dr Anthony Gruppetta removed successfully removed the hooks and after many weeks of treatment and monitoring by the Rehab Team, both turtles were restored to full health and able to be released back into their natural environment.

This year NTM said that they have been fortunate that the Swedish company Mr Green has sponsored its work with rescued turtles along with the Danish company Folksferie.dk who have supported them for some years now by collecting donations from the Danish tourists visiting Malta … NTM gave a big thank you to these corporate sponsors and to all the individuals and schools who have helped towards the rehabilitation costs by donating and supporting the Adopt-a-Turtle campaign.

Nature Trust (Malta) also thanked their Vet Dr Anthony Gruppetta for his expertise, Malta Aquaculture Centre for hosting the tanks and MEPA for their continued support.

Loggerhead Turtles (as with other Sea Turtles) are protected in law and are endangered. Their populations are in decline mostly due to fishing techniques, pollution and destruction of nesting habitat.

NTM appeals to the public that if an injured turtle or a turtle in difficulty is spotted, to please not attempt to deal with it on their own as in most cases, they would simply be doing more harm than good – therefore it would be best to call Nature Trust's Wildlife Rescue Team on 99999505 – the line is manned 24/7. In this way the turtle can also be handled by trained rescuers and examined by experienced vets.

Photo: Mr Green's release with Dr Anthony Gruppetta and Vincent Attard of NTM

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