Flying Turtles - Elsa - Planeta-Neptun - Russia NTV Channel

Maldives – On September 12, 2017 , ‘Elsa’ – a female juvenile Olive Ridley turtle estimated under 20 years of age – has become the fifth ‘Flying Turtle’ to travel from the Maldives by plane to begin a new life overseas. Donated to St-Petersburg’s Planeta-Neptun, Russia’s first Oceanarium, Elsa follows in the pioneering flipper-steps of her Olive Ridley cousins – Kerry, Zahiya, La Petite and Peggy: the original ‘Flying Turtles’ who made Maldivian and European history in August 2016 when they became the first live turtles to be flown overseas from the Maldives for rehabilitation and education purposes, and the first Olive Ridleys to be represented in a European facility (Belgium’s Pairi Daiza Zoo). Like her flying cousins before her, Elsa was a long-term resident of Four Seasons Resorts Maldives Sea Turtle Conservation Programme. She initially spent a year being cared for at Four Seasons Resort Kuda Huraa, having been found in North Male Atoll floating at the surface entangled in a ghost fishing net; her two front flippers so badly damaged they had to be removed. A year later in August 2014, with her floating syndrome healed, she was transferred to the Turtle Rehabilitation Centre at Landaa Giraavaru, where she remained for a further 3 years. Deemed ‘non-releasable’ (based on international standards), Elsa made her epic journey to St-Petersburg in September, accompanied by Sebastain Stradal – Landaa’s former Marine Discovery Centre Manager and pioneer of the Flying Turtles Project – to ensure her welfare. Commenting on the donation of Elsa to Planeta-Neptun, Sebastien Stradal said: “In an ideal world, we would return all of the turtles we care for back to the ocean to continue their life in a natural environment. But for turtles like Elsa, whose chance of survival in the wild is so low, the Flying Turtle Project offers improved long-term wellbeing and extended medical care in a more diverse and natural-feeling environment than we are able to offer at our Turtle Rehabilitation Centre. We are very grateful to the Maldivian Authorities and everyone else who has worked so hard to make this project possible. We know that Elsa will make a great ambassador for her species, helping to educate the public about marine pollution threats faced by sea turtles like her.”