NEWSLETTER 2

DAVE.
6 months after his initial rescue, Dave - the most famous turtle in the Red Sea - sadly died on August 7th. A few days before, after collecting many comments from guides and guests on his precarious condition, and also because it had been six months since his initial release, a team organised by the Red Sea Turtle Project, with the kind and important help of Diving Ocean, went out to assess the situation. Dave was found on the back of Yolanda Reef, completely motionless and brought on the boat for a check up. Dr Patrick Olbrechts, a well-known vet in Sharm, and Dr Eman Aly, zoologist of the Sinai Protectorates Wildlife Unit at the Ras Mohammed National Park, immediately saw Dave's poor conditions.

Dave was suffering general malnutrition (he had lost more than 5 Kg in six months) the plastron was bruised and soft to the touch, when it should be healthy and strong and the tail was bearing a deep and infected cut at the joint with the carapace.

Dave was then brought back to the enclosure where he was brought originally when he was first rescued by the staff from the Red Sea Diving College. Immediately the Red Sea Turtle Project contacted several sea turtle conservation agencies around the world to obtain scientific protocols to try and rehabilitate Dave. Unfortunately, he died three days later. An autopsy has been performed by Dr Olbrechts and the results will be divulged as soon as available. You can read Dave's story here. This ending, however sad, will be an important learning process for the future and success of the project, and it will set an important milestone for developing an efficient rescue and rehabilitation program for injured sea turtles.

The Red Sea Turtle Project, James Tunney and the staff from the Red Sea Diving College would like to thank the following people involved in the latest rescue attempt:

•Claudio Di Manao e Simone La Monica, staff from Red Sea Turtle Project

•Dr. Patrick Olbrechts and Dr. Eman Aly

•Walter Di Giampietro, Angela Donati e Francesca from Diving Ocean

•Massimo Bidetti from Camel Dive Club

•Thomas Chabanne, Alice Cattaneo, Marcello Cafiso, videographers and freelancers

We would also like to thank everyone who has rescued Dave originally, Sinai Divers and Dr Eman Aly; everyone who has been reporting on his condition; everyone from abroad who has sent us advice and material on this issue, and everyone who has been caring for him and loved him.

THE CIRCLE OF LIFE STARTS AGAIN!
Despite the community being touched by the demise of Dave, we now have something to cheer about: a green turtle hatchling has been found!

As you remember, in the previous newsletter we reported finding nests and hatched eggs in the Ras Mohammed area. Well, towards the end of June an instructor working in Sharm at the Ocean College, Jill Healey, was lucky enough to find a hatchling of a Green Sea Turtle in a place where we probably would have not expected to find one: Ras Katy! Jill was out on a daily boat and coming back from a dive, when her attention was attracted by something floating next to one of the boat ladders. To her great surprise she realised that it was indeed a sea turtle hatchling. Jill took a few pictures, that she kindly gave us to publish, and released the little creature again.

It is very rare to find a hatchling in the water still close to land. Once hatched, they normally swim to open sea and do not come back to the main land for several years, until they become sexually mature. Green turtles (Chelonia Mydas) take their name by the colour of their body fat and they are the only herbivorous species amongst sea turtles. The main threat to their survival is the high demand for their meat, which is considered a delicacy.

CHECK THE MAPS!
Check here for the updated maps.

GET INVOLVED!
Your help so far has been amazing and we thank you very much for it. Here are a few things you can do to get involved in the project:

•Report any turtle sighting whether online or on paper. You can download the report form from the website.

•Report any big animal sighting whether online or on paper. You can download the report form from the website.

•Submit any picture or video of sea turtles via email. We will use these to identify individuals and we will give you credit for your pictures or videos.

•Send us your comments, feedback and suggestions on how to improve our project.

•If you would like to join the Red Sea Turtle Project, please send us your logo together with your ideas on your involvement: sightings report, weblink exchange, pictures and video sharing, or simply to receive the newsletter.