Turtle Conservatory In Lh. Naifaru

"Guess what we had for breakfast today",  my sister-in-law and her hubby exclaimed as we headed for the beach when were were staying in Naifaru last March. " Dhatha served turtle meat. ". "It was good like beef!" I cringed, didn't want to know how it tasted at all.  There are a few things that I cross the line when it comes to food, fertilised duck eggs, Foi Gras,  bugs and now of course turtles. I remember eating turtle eggs when I was a kid, didn't mind them but now after seeing them and hearing about the fate of most of them, I had no desire to eat them in any form.  What I found ironic or even hypocritical was while people on the island eat turtle meat,  there was a turtle conservatory at the corner of the island.

We visited the conservatory the previous time we went to Naifaru , that time there was a local guy who showed us around. This time around there were 4 expatriate volunteers who were working tirelessly when we visited.

this guy seems to be doing some stretches 

 There were cute little baby turtles that had hatched and were being taken care of till they were able to survive on their own and then they will be sent out into the sea.

cute isn't he

Then there were ones who they had saved or rather the fisherman had saved and brought to the sanctuary.  Two of them had lost one of their flippers, (most probably from being caught in a net or even the junk that gets thrown in the sea) and were kept suspended in the water with strings so they floated on top. They were rehabilitating them until they can survive and then set off to sea. The rehabilitation process can take a few months to a year it seems.

this poor guy lost one flipper 

Tourists who visit the Lhaviyani Atoll resorts visit the conservatory. I hope after reading this locals will also visit and take kids to see the place. Sadly they no longer have any local volunteers.  Its a good place to show kids what can happen to sea creatures when they throw plastic and other junk into the ocean.

spot the junk! this is a photo  I took near the jetty area. 

Speaking of Locals, I was flipping channels the other night and happened to come across this local song by a local band Detune. And I have to say it kinda grows on you  and its a lot like Pharell William's Happy, you can check it out here, its pretty catchy and kinda cheers you up after a long day.