Twelve turtles, a mix of hawksbills and greens, have been returned to the wild after being cared for by the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project. All photos: Antonie Robertson / The National
Carers help them back to the sea
The goal of the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project is to rescue, rehabilitate and release injured turtles in the Arabian Gulf
The UAE is home to thousands of sea turtles, and many more travel through the Arabian Gulf due to their migratory behaviour
The turtles face threats including hunting, climate change and plastic pollution
One of the released turtles is named Tangle after he was rescued from a plastic sack that was dragging him down
Once rescued, the marine animals are tended to by the aquarium team at Burj Al Arab
They are then transferred to one of the five turtle rehabilitation lagoons at Jumeirah Al Naseem, where they are prepared for an eventual release to the wild
The Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project, founded in 2014, has so far released 2,109 turtles
The project tends to an average of 100 turtles every year
Turtles released at Jumeirah Al Naseem beach - in pictures
