Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project (aggregated per 1-degree cell)

Warren Baverstock

doi:10.15468/x2tyj7

Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project (aggregated per 1-degree cell)

Citation

Baverstock W. 2021. Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project. Data downloaded from OBIS-SEAMAP (http://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/802) on yyyy-mm-dd originated from Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT; http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?project_id=687). https://doi.org/10.15468/x2tyj7 accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-12-14.

Description

Original provider: Jumeirah Group Dataset credits: Data provider Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project Originating data center Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT) Abstract: Introduction

In its current form the project consists of a collaborative effort between Dubai’s Wildlife Protection Office (WPO) and the Jumeirah Group. It evolved from a small-time operation using fish quarantines, available locally for the occasional turtle stranding, but in 2010 alone, over 350 turtles have passed through the project and have been released into the sea. At the outset of the collaboration, the co-chairman of the Marine Turtle Specialist Group was brought in by WPO to ensure that the project followed best practice guidelines in terms of turtle handling, rehabilitation and release protocols.

Sea turtles received consist of three species, The hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata, the green Chelonia mydas and the loggerhead Caretta caretta. Although we have received turtles up to 150Kg, by far the majority of the cases we receive are juvenile hawksbills of around 1kg in weight. An ever-increasing local awareness of our project has led to more turtles being received by the project, primarily in the season from January to April, when local waters can be down to 16C. Many of the turtles passing through our hands are due to the efforts of Emirates Marine Environmental Group, TDIC and Dubai Municipality’s Environment Section, as well as contributions from individuals.

Central to the success of the project is the veterinary work provided by our colleagues at the Dubai Falcon Hospital. Original contributions and protocols for turtle receipt and treatment from Peter McKinney in the late 90’s have subsequently seen contributions from numerous successive veterinarians. Mirjam Hampel has recently left us for work in Europe, but in her time with the project she contributed enormously to the development of the project. Some of our combined work may be viewed in Wildlife Middle East articles, available online. We have also been joined by Valentina Caliendo, who brings to us her experiences of working with cold-stunned individuals in the Mediterranean and Adriatic and most recently Conor Kilgallon who is now offering his veterinary expertise.

Dubai’s Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) provides support in terms of pathology, bacteriology and follow-up blood work.

Although much of our work is behind closed doors, Jumeirah Group has donated two large penned areas located at Madinat Jumeirah, which are used by the project as pre-release pens. This provides an important chance to observe behaviour of the turtles immediately prior to release. It also provides a first-class interface between the public and the turtles, contributing greatly to local awareness. In excess of 1000 school children visit the project annually and receive guided tours and information on the turtles.

The release pen is furnished with an artificial reef donated by Amusement White Water. This provides environmental enrichment to the animals within, and allows us to observe the turtle’s forage behaviour.

The Jumeirah Group has also provided all funding for the eleven satellite tags deployed to date. This provides us with the very exciting opportunity to monitor our turtles post-release. Our 2008 release, Dibba, brought fascinating data back, on its travels from UAE’s East coast to the last known position close to Thailand (8600km). We choose to share all this information via Seaturtle.org in order to contribute to the growing awareness and knowledge of turtle behaviour.

The day to day project management is from Wildlife Protection Office’s Kevin Hyland and from Burj al Arab’s Aquarium Management Warren Baverstock and David Robinson. Supplemental information: Visit STAT's project page for additional information. This dataset is a summarized representation of the telemetry locations aggregated per species per 1-degree cell.

Purpose

Not available

Sampling Description

Study Extent

NA

Sampling

NA

Method steps

NA

Additional info

marine, harvested by iOBIS

Taxonomic Coverages

Scientific names are based on the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

Chelonia mydas
common name: Green Sea Turtle rank: species
Eretmochelys imbricata
common name: Hawksbill Sea Turtle rank: species
Caretta caretta
common name: Loggerhead Sea Turtle rank: species
Lepidochelys olivacea
common name: Olive Ridley rank: species

Geographic Coverages

Oceans

Bibliographic Citations

Contacts

Warren Baverstock
originator
position: Primary contact
Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project
email: baaaquarium@jumeirah.com

OBIS-SEAMAP
metadata author
Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University
A328 LSRC building
Durham
27708
NC
US
email: seamap-contact@duke.edu
homepage: http://seamap.env.duke.edu

OBIS-SEAMAP
distributor
Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University
A328 LSRC building
Durham
27708
NC
US
email: seamap-contact@duke.edu
homepage: http://seamap.env.duke.edu

Warren Baverstock
owner
position: Primary contact
Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project
email: baaaquarium@jumeirah.com

Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool
originator
seaturtle.org
email: mcoyne@seaturtle.org
homepage: http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/

Warren Baverstock
administrative point of contact
position: Primary contact
Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project
email: baaaquarium@jumeirah.com