The sun was shining so I ventured out to the rehabilitation enclosure in Landaa’s lagoon.  I wanted to verify the stories I’d heard about brave turtles swimming with only two or three flippers, and stranger still, ‘flying’ to far away lands.

“I had a serious plastic problem,” recalled Chomper, the handsome two-flippered Olive Ridley who greeted me when I arrived. “I was caught in a fishing net that was dumped at sea. I lost a flipper trying to escape, and had to have another amputated after I was rescued. I need to learn to dive again so my Marine Savers rescuers can return me to the wild.”

Quite the chatterbox, I let him carry on. “Many animals from neighbouring countries become entangled in nets dumped at sea by subcontinent fishermen. Their strong synthetic fibres float for decades, spreading parasites and destroying reefs.  I’m one of the lucky ones: many die from starvation too far from the shore to be seen.”

“Have you heard about Zahiya, Peggy and the other three?” Chomper continued, proudly. He’d barely paused for breath since we met – and knowing turtles routinely hold their breath for 45 minutes (and for up to seven hours when they’re sleeping), I wondered how long our meeting might take!

The sun was shining so I ventured out to the rehabilitation enclosure in Landaa’s lagoon.  I wanted to verify the stories I’d heard about brave turtles swimming with only two or three flippers, and stranger still, ‘flying’ to far away lands.

“I had a serious plastic problem,” recalled Chomper, the handsome two-flippered Olive Ridley who greeted me when I arrived. “I was caught in a fishing net that was dumped at sea. I lost a flipper trying to escape, and had to have another amputated after I was rescued. I need to learn to dive again so my Marine Savers rescuers can return me to the wild.”

Quite the chatterbox, I let him carry on. “Many animals from neighbouring countries become entangled in nets dumped at sea by subcontinent fishermen. Their strong synthetic fibres float for decades, spreading parasites and destroying reefs.  I’m one of the lucky ones: many die from starvation too far from the shore to be seen.”

“Have you heard about Zahiya, Peggy and the other three?” Chomper continued, proudly. He’d barely paused for breath since we met – and knowing turtles routinely hold their breath for 45 minutes (and for up to seven hours when they’re sleeping), I wondered how long our meeting might take!

“We call them the ‘Flying Turtles’. They were too badly affected to return to the ocean but were given a pioneering opportunity to be ambassadors for our species. Many aquariums didn’t want them because they weren’t perfect, but eventually Landaa’s marine biologists found forever homes for them at Belgium’s Pairi Daiza Zoo and St Petersburg’s Planeta-Neptun. They flew in one of those FlyEmirates metal birds and were the first Maldivian turtles ever to take to the skies on an international mission. They now educate humans about the dangers of dumping nets at sea, not to mention plastic bags that turtles mistake for jellyfish!”

As the weather turned, a Marine Biologist snorkelled up to return Chomper to the Rehabilitation Centre.  He waved goodbye with his strongest flipper, leaving my head spinning with tales of metal birds and pioneering reptiles.

“We call them the ‘Flying Turtles’. They were too badly affected to return to the ocean but were given a pioneering opportunity to be ambassadors for our species. Many aquariums didn’t want them because they weren’t perfect, but eventually Landaa’s marine biologists found forever homes for them at Belgium’s Pairi Daiza Zoo and St Petersburg’s Planeta-Neptun. They flew in one of those FlyEmirates metal birds and were the first Maldivian turtles ever to take to the skies on an international mission. They now educate humans about the dangers of dumping nets at sea, not to mention plastic bags that turtles mistake for jellyfish!”

As the weather turned, a Marine Biologist snorkelled up to return Chomper to the Rehabilitation Centre.  He waved goodbye with his strongest flipper, leaving my head spinning with tales of metal birds and pioneering reptiles.