Louvre Abu Dhabi welcomes turtles in new rehabilitation lagoon

The museum is offering a temporary home to the reptiles before they are released into the wild

Louvre Abu Dhabi has opened a rehabilitation lagoon that will house rescued sea turtles who are almost ready to swim back to the wild. All photos: Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Manuel Rabate, director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, helping to release the turtles into the lagoon

The 10 turtles were transported from The National Aquarium, where they have been undergoing rehabilitation

More turtles are set to arrive at the Louvre Abu Dhabi lagoon in the coming weeks

One of the turtles was ceremonially named Zaha, after famed Arab architect Zaha Hadid

The aquarium will continue to monitor the turtles until they are deemed fit to swim back to the open sea

Louvre Abu Dhabi's involvement in the wildlife programme effectively creates a new step in the turtles' rehabilitation process

Turtle rehabilitation is especially a big deal for the UAE, as it is home to five of seven species of marine turtles

School children attended the ceremony to take part in the turtles' release

About 5,000 of these animals reside in Abu Dhabi waters

Before the turtles swim back to the open sea, they are scored by the aquarium based on a number of criteria

Turtles are among the most migratory animals in the world, and they frequently pass through the Arabian Gulf

The Wildlife Rescue Programme, which started in 2020, has released more than 500 rehabilitated sea turtles back into the wild

The Louvre Abu Dhabi set-up will also give a chance for museum-goers to learn more about turtle rehabilitation

The lagoon can hold up to 50 turtles at once

An unusual set of visitors has taken temporary refuge at Louvre Abu Dhabi — rehabilitated turtles who are almost ready to go back to the wild.

Ten turtles were transported to the museum on Wednesday from The National Aquarium, which has been rescuing and rehabilitating troubled turtles as part of its Wildlife Rescue Programme with the Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi.

The animals have now been released to a controlled lagoon at the museum, which has been designed to replicate the conditions of the Arabian Gulf. One of the turtles, the biggest in the group at around 100kg, was ceremonially named Zaha, after the famed Arab architect Zaha Hadid.

Young pupils from the Diyafah International School were at the ceremony to witness, and even help, in the release of the turtles.

"We'll have a permanent team here at the Louvre from the National Aquarium, and they will be monitoring these turtles from now until their release date, which is going to be March or April, depending on the season," Paul Hamilton, The National Aquarium's general manager, tells The National.

"Here they have the national conditions of the Arabian Gulf — the sea temperatures, the salinities, a lot of the zooplankton, phytoplankton, everything that they are used to, is here present in this water.

"We release the turtles in the best environment condition for them to succeed, which is typically at the start of summer."

The new step aims to ease the turtles' transition back to the wild, and gradually help them cope with crucial survival activities such as feeding.

"We will do the transition from their rehabilitation diet, back to a diet that replicates the wild. It's like when you're living on a buffet, and then suddenly you have to go work for your food. They need to learn that part of the process," says Hamilton.

Manuel Rabate, director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, said the initiative fits perfectly with the museum's "design and civic duty".

"It is important to know that we are, by construction, connected to the environment, to the element, to the sea, to the islands. By design, I would say, we are in contact with the water and the life in it. Museums are part of a society with a role to play," he said.

Manuel Rabate, director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, helps to release the turtles into the lagoon. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Louvre Abu Dhabi will also give a chance for museum-goers "to explore the turtle rehabilitation process through an exciting programme of exhibitions, seminars and events," said Saeed Al Fazari, the strategic affairs executive director of the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, which signed the deal with the environment agency to open the rehabilitation sanctuary at the museum.

More turtles are set to be moved to the 50-capacity lagoon in the coming weeks.

Turtle rehabilitation in the UAE

Turtles being released as part of the rehabilitation launch at Louvre Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Turtle rehabilitation is especially a big deal for the UAE, as it is home to five of seven species of marine turtles. Around 5,000 of these animals reside in Abu Dhabi waters, and because of their extremely migratory behaviour, more turtles frequently pass through the Arabian Gulf and are sometimes stranded.

This, in part, led to the creation of the wildlife programme, where The National Aquarium, with its team of aquarist experts, tend to rescued, injured and sick animals at a rehabilitation facility in the capital's Al Qana waterfront area.

Since the start of the programme two years ago, more than 500 turtles have already been discharged through a direct-to-sea release, with some turtles being satellite tagged for continuous monitoring.

The aquarium can also host rescued turtles for years, depending on their condition.

"There's some that have been with us for as long as two years, and that's because their rehabilitation was slow. Some have only been with us for six months," said Hamilton.

"Some turtles will come to us very emaciated, they've been floating out at sea for months. Other turtles, we receive right when they're just running into trouble."

Before they swim back to the sea, the turtles are scored by the aquarium, he explained.

"We check their blood work and make sure that they're not fighting any infections any more, and their overall body conditions".

Other factors include the turtles' willingness to feed and their ability to navigate, among others. The National Aquarium's deputy curator, Lewis Cocks, said sometimes the eventual release of the rescued turtles can be emotional.

"Some of these we've worked on for years, some of them have literally been on death's door when they come in — skinny, missing limbs," he said. "Sometimes you don't even expect it. Even today when we released Zaha, we all just looked at each other and said 'Wow, Zaha's finally got a home'."

Inside Abu Dhabi's National Aquarium with 46,000 creatures, 300 species and a super snake — in pictures

The National Aquarium Abu Dhabi opened to the public in November. All photos by Ruel Pableo for The National

It is the first attraction to open in Al Qana, a new waterfront destination.

Inside The Sub, one of 10 zones in the aquarium.

The Red Sea Wreck zone.

The UAE's Natural Treasures zone.

The Ring of Fire zone where guests can learn about volcanic caves and how islands are formed.

Children outside of the National Aquarium on opening day.

Tickets can be purchased at the door or online. Prices start at Dh105 ($28).

Visitors explore the Red Sea Wreck zone.

The National Aquarium Abu Dhabi is set to be joined by other attractions at Al Qana.

The aquarium is home to 46,000 creatures, representing 300 species.

Covering more than 9,000 square metres, it is the largest aquarium in the Middle East.

An underwater tunnel at the National Aquarium Abu Dhabi.

Visitors can book the aquarium tour or a behind-the-scenes tour.

The Flooded Forest zone is home to Super Snake – a female reticulated python, aged 14, that weighs 115 kilograms.

Inside the Red Sea Wreck zone visitors can can come face-to-fin with hundreds of fish.

At the Atlantic Cave zone visitors can discover what really lives beneath the ocean's surface.

The Frozen Ocean zone.

The Ocean Magic zone.

Inside Bu Tinah Island zone.

The Ocean Magic zone contains a car filled with fishes.

The Flooded Forest zone.

The UAE's Natural Treasures zone explores the country's rich pearl diving history.