The Manchester-born conservationist who’s saving turtles in the Indian Ocean
Martin Stelfox – A conservationist who has a penchant for all things reptile, is now dedicating his time and career to saving sea turtles. He is the founder and CEO of the turtle conservation charity “The Olive Ridley Project” (ORP), which was established in 2013 is based in the UK.
I also had the pleasure of meeting and hearing out Martin’s NGO at a conference not long ago, he is doing some great work! He detailed their efforts to conserve and rehabilitate predominantly olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) turtles that get caught and entangled in ghost nets/disposed fishing gear.
Martin said: “The nets get tangled around their flippers. They struggle so hard to escape that they hurt themselves”.
In February 2017, ORP was able to open their first Turtle Rescue Centre in the Maldives. Since opening, they have treated approximately 70 turtles, with 30 being released back into the ocean.
To catch the full story, click the link above. To find out more about ORP, click “The Olive Ridley Project”.
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This Week In Turtles…
A Turtle conservation organisation, Wildlife Sense, which is based in Kefalonia Greece was able to tag and health check its first ever green turtle (Chelonia mydas)!
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Photo from Martin Stelfox.
