The turtle is a flagship species for the conservation of the marine environment, and is protected throughout much of the world. Of the two species of turtle found in the Gulf area, the Hawksbill and the Green turtle, both are classified by CITES as endangered.

Without exception, all of the turtles in the Madinat Jumeirah turtle rehabilitation unit were at one stage very sick or injured. They are brought to the aquarium team at the Burj Al Arab or to the Wildlife Protection Office here in Dubai by members of the public. Turtles are subjected to veterinary examination with the help of the Al Wasl Falcon Clinic and are then monitored throughout the recovery process, with appropriate medication or surgery being administered.

The types of debilitation are varied. Some are injuries caused by entanglement or ingestion of plastic refuse discarded into the marine environment. Some are sick, rather than injured, manifested by abnormally heavy barnacle encrustation.

The Madinat Jumeirah turtle rehabilitation unit is run by the Wildlife Protection Office based here in Dubai and in conjunction with the National Marine Aquarium based in Plymouth, UK. The unit is monitored and looked after on a day to day basis by the staff of the Burj Al Arab Aquarium team. The large enclosure forms what is hoped to be the final stage in their rehabilitation process, to allow a final period of feeding and monitoring before release back into UAE territorial waters. At release, it is hoped to satellite tag the turtles to assess the viability of the rehabilitation programme and provide important scientific data on our native turtles and their movements.

Our mission at the rehabilitation unit is to:

The 16th February 2008 was an important date for the Madinat Jumeirah turtle rehabilitation unit. It was the date ‘Dibba’, an 80kg Green turtle was successfully released back into the wild after an 18 month rehabilitation period. Dibba was brought into the unit in August, 2006 with a massive head injury and various associated infections. Before Dibba was released, a satellite tag was attached to her shell to track her travels and use the data to further scientific research about Arabian turtle movements. The tag was fully sponsored by Jumeirah.

When a turtle is satellite tagged, the tag is harmlessly attached to the shell of the turtle using a fiberglass bonding process. The transmission time of the tag is finite and is governed by the life of the battery pack. Eventually the bond will break as the turtle’s shell continues to grow and the tag will be lost to the ocean. In addition to the satellite tag, Dibba is fitted with unique titanium flipper tags that will identify her history, should she ever be re-caught.

The first satellite tagged turtle to be released from the rehabilitation unit was ‘Maju’, a 35kg Green turtle. Maju was released in February 2005, following her final veterinary examination after an 8 month stay in the unit. Maju, whose name was created from Madinat Jumeirah, is aptly named as this means 'healthy' in Malay.

After her release, Maju travelled over to Iran via Abu Musa Island, past Bandar Abbas, and out of the Arabian Gulf altogether.

Why not join Dibba on her travels? To follow her progress, visit www.seaturtle.org You'll find regular map updates of Dibba, as well as photographs and background information on the project. We hope you enjoy watching her amazing journey.