Meritta Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center Marks 8th Anniversary with Turtle Releases

The Meritta Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center, launched in 2018 as a Merit International Hotels CSR project, celebrated its eighth year by hosting the 5th Sea Turtle Workshop. The three‑day event gathered international scientists and veterinarians to discuss rescue networks, clinical protocols, data standardisation and conservation technologies. As a highlight, four rehabilitated turtles – three green turtles (Efe, Murat Altunışık, Sunny) and a male Caretta caretta named Nora – were released back into the sea, bringing the centre’s total releases to 212.

In a separate rescue effort on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, a 20‑year‑old green sea turtle nicknamed “Zeytin” was freed from a fishing hook and treated for about 50 days by the DEKAFOK team. The turtle was released at Sorgun Beach in Manavgat, with the ceremony linking marine conservation to a call for peace in the region. Both events underscore ongoing local and international collaboration to protect sea turtles in the Eastern Mediterranean.