The Council of Tenerife provides the island’s fishermen’s guilds with containers in which to keep the turtles collected from the sea that need veterinary attention. The Minister of Management of the Natural Environment and Security, Isabel García, points out that it is about providing tools so that, in the event that an animal is affected, it can wait, in adequate conditions, until the Fauna staff arrives.
During 2021, 91 affected sea turtles were collected Due to different circumstances, they were transferred to the La Tahonilla Wildlife Recovery Center. The service will distribute these containers in Garachico, Icod de los Vinos, Puerto de la Cruz, Punta del Hidalgo, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Candelaria, Granadilla, Arona and Guía. of Isora.
These animals are usually found entangled, entangled in plastic, with hooks stuck, injured, or with some kind of condition. For this reason, the Cabildo intends to collaborate and educate, not only the group of fishing professionals, but also extend the initiative to diving clubs, student groups, maritime leisure companies, etc. The objective is for them to know how to act in the event of finding a specimen with the above symptoms, in addition to raising awareness of the problem and protecting the species”,
This work is carried out jointly by the staff of La Tahonilla and the marine biologist Claudia Hurtado, who is developing a project to educate citizens in good practices when interacting with turtles.
The initiative, already under way, consists of placement of deposits in the shade and in good conditions in the docks of the different municipalities Easily recognizable with the Cabildo logo and the La Tahonilla telephone number.
