It’s common knowledge that Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed has a great love for animals. He's also no stranger to a charitable cause.
So when Dubai's Jumeirah Group set about releasing 65 turtles into the wild to mark World Sea Turtle Day, it's easy to see why the Crown Prince of Dubai was eager to lend a hand.
In a video posted to Instagram on Tuesday, Sheikh Hamdan documented his part in helping release the turtles out at sea.
The project, held to mark World Sea Turtle Day on Tuesday, June 16, was organised by Jumeirah's Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project. The team released 45 hawksbill turtles, as well as an additional 20 hatchlings from the Emirates Marine Environmental Group’s Jebel Ali Reserve.
Each of the 45 rehabilitated turtles have spent the last few months being treated for various ailments including plastic ingestion, and injuries that required surgery.
The turtles released included a hatchling that washed up on World Sea Turtle Day last year, weighing only 11 grams. It has since grown, and her weight has since increased tenfold, according to Gerhard Beukes, director of aquarium operations and animal husbandry at Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project.
“The rehabilitation process starts with critical care at the facilities at Burj Al Arab, then progresses to the sea-fed turtle rehabilitation lagoon, where the turtles acclimatise to ambient conditions, and build up fitness levels prior to release back into the wild”, he says.
Hawksbills are important for coral reefs, as they forage on and keep sponges in check. The past few decades have had a rapid decline in turtle numbers, and it is thought that there are less than 8,000 adults nesting females globally, a reduction of 80 per cent in the last century.
Their rehabilitation is in line with the three-year National Plan of Action for the Conservation of Marine Turtles in the UAE, supported by the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitations Project. Launched by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the plan aims at expediting laws to protect turtles.
The Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project has now returned more than 1,900 turtles to the Arabian Gulf from across the UAE, since its inception in 2004. The main species tended to at the facility are hawksbill and green turtles, with occasional loggerhead and olive ridley turtles brought in.
_____________
Sheikh Hamdan: 37 travel photos that show how intrepid the Dubai Crown Prince is
-
The classic Leaning Tower of Pisa shot. Instagram / Faz3 -
Sheikh Hamdan in Uzbekistan, a place he says has a 'special place' in his heart. Instagram / Faz3 -
On the Skydeck in Chicago. Instagram / Faz3 -
In the cold in Canada in January 2018. Instagram / Faz3 -
Last year he also went on a cycling tour in Estonia: the crown prince often makes trips to places that are off the beaten track. Instagram / Faz3 -
With a teetering rock sculpture in Norway back in 2014. Instagram / Faz3 -
Exploring the glaciers of New Zealand, a country he called 'beautiful' back in May 2015. Instagram / Faz3 -
Wearing traditional dress in Japan. Instagram / Faz3 -
By a waterfall on one of the Faroe Islands, which are 18 rocky, volcanic islands between Iceland and Norway. Instagram / Faz3 -
A classic Paris shot. Instagram / Faz3 -
In one of his favourite places, Uzbekistan, back in 2015. Spot his dad, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, doing his signature move in the background. Instagram / Faz3 -
Cycling in San Francisco in 2015. Instagram / Faz3 -
Taking a snap with a young Tanzanian back in March, 2016. Instagram / Faz3 -
He's a huge fan of cycling, having been behind many cycling initiatives in Dubai, and he's definitely showing his support for the activity here. Instagram / Faz3 -
With the famous Uncle Saeed in Amsterdam in 2016. Instagram / Faz3 -
Here he is spearfishing, one of his favourite past times. Instagram / Faz3 -
Here's Sheikh Hamdan on the road in Algeria. Instagram / Faz3 -
A breathtaking photo of the Crown Prince in Yosemite National Park in the US. Instagram / Faz3 -
Here's the Crown Prince trekking through the nature of Yorkshire, in England. Instagram / Faz3 -
Sheikh Hamdan skiing in Aspen. Instagram / Faz3 -
He's a keen photographer, and is pictured here with a camera in Tanzania. Instagram / Faz3 -
At the World Equestrian Games in North Carolina last year. Instagram / Faz3 -
A morning coffee mid-air back in May 2016. Instagram / Faz3 -
In the clouds, with an amazing view on show in Canada back in January 2016. Instagram / Faz3 -
Driving through London in a Tesla. Instagram / Faz3 -
And here he in June, 2018, in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Instagram / Faz3 -
Here he is at Royal Ascot in the UK last summer with his father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. Instagram / Faz3 -
Here's a closer to home travel photo, with the Crown Prince hiking through Hatta. Instagram / Faz3 -
And here he is in a cloudy landscape, which is also likely to be from his trip in Canada. Instagram / Faz3 -
Here's a throwback Thursday to when he was at Sandhurst Royal Military College in the United Kingdom. Instagram / Faz3 -
Out for a walk in the Big Apple. Instagram / Faz3 -
The Crown Prince looking out over New York. Instagram / Faz3 -
At the airport in Algeria with his father and brother. Instagram / Faz3 -
Taking a moment in Italy back in 2015. Instagram / Faz3 -
Sheikh Hamdan in Paris. Instagram / Faz3 -
Trying a burger in Tokyo, Japan. Instagram / Faz3 -
The Crown Prince hiking in Scotland during this year's summer. Instagram / Faz3
