Lampedusa Turtle Rescue

Our Center hosts around 100 turtles annually. Many of them are accidentally caught by fishing tools, trawl or longline, and arrive at our hospital thanks to the collaboration with fishermen, tourists and local agencies. During their stay at our center we take care their of day-to-day needs, monitoring their behaviour and health, but also recording any scientific data that can help us better understand their condition. We work with some Veterinarians who reach us via plane or boat in order to perform surgeries. In our on site laboratory we carry out haematological and parasitological tests to determine the condition of the patients. When the health of our turtles improves enough for their release into the sea, we mark them with special tags, registered on a worldwide database. The true heart of the Center is volunteering, thanks to a network of volunteers that come from all corners of the world, we provide care to turtles that unfortunately are at risk of extinction. We are always happy to collaborate with those who care about the conservation of turtles, or want to develop projects and research to aid their protection.