Two trapped sea turtles recovered and successfully released into the wild at Dawulun Beach in Keelung

Two conservation hawksbill sea turtles, "Minnie" and olive ridley sea turtle "Xiao Ba Lan", who were entangled in discarded nets, successfully recovered after careful medical treatment and rehabilitation by a professional team. Today, they were released into the wild at Dawulun Beach in Keelung, returning to the familiar embrace of the ocean.

Zeng Zhengcong, secretary-general of the Chinese Cetacean and Dolphin Association, said that the two sea turtles were rescued from being entangled in abandoned fishing nets in mid-July this year. Among them, the hawksbill turtle "Minnie" was trapped and stranded on Dawulun Beach on July 12. Four days later, the olive ridley turtle "Xiao Balan" was found drifting in the sea by enthusiastic fishermen who untied the net and salvaged it.

Zeng Zhengcong said that when the two sea turtles were sent to the Chinese Cetacean and Dolphin Association for examination, they were both entangled, causing choking and pneumonia, and Xiao Balan was even found to be floating abnormally. Fortunately, with the intensive treatment and Dachi rehabilitation provided by the professional team of the association, Minnie was confirmed to have fully recovered after three hematological and physical examinations. Xiao Balan also successfully overcome the floating problem and regained his ability to swim independently. All physiological and behavioral indicators have reached the standards for release into the wild.

Today, during the wild release at Dawulun Beach, many enthusiastic people spontaneously waited for the escort on the shore. Many people saw the turtles struggling to crawl towards the waves and break through the waves. They were moved and said that this was the first time they saw sea turtles swimming freely in the sea.

Since the olive ridley sea turtle is a rare species in the waters around Taiwan and has deep-diving characteristics, it often floats on the sea surface for ventilation and adjustment before deep diving. In order to understand the whereabouts and migratory ecology of the sea turtle after its release into the wild, the Marine Conservation Service of the Marine Commission, with the assistance of the Marine Commission, installed a satellite transmitter on its back to continuously track its migration path and accumulate valuable first-hand data for scientific research on sea turtle conservation in Taiwan waters.

Director of the Industrial Development Department of the Keelung City Government, Cai Fuzhao, expressed her sincere gratitude to the enthusiastic fishermen, lifeguards and related personnel who assisted in reporting the incident as soon as possible. She also appealed to the public that if they find injured or stranded marine wildlife on the shore or at sea, please call the coast guard "118" hotline to report the incident, and keep a proper distance from the animal until professionals arrive for assistance. Do not push it back into the sea by yourself.