Glen is a juvenile Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). This species is considered to be critically endangered worldwide according to the IUCN Red List.

Glen came to us through our Bycatch Release Programme. Although he had been caught in a net, our Field Officers quickly noticed a deep wound on the top of the turtle’s head. They brought Glen straight back to our Turtle Rehabilitation Centre for treatment.

Once back at the centre, the wound was carefully cleaned and examined. Fortunately it was not as deep as first thought and had not penetrated the skull. Glen was very lethargic for the first few days, this could have been due to a certain level of concussion after such a blow to the head.

Glen improved slowly over the course of the following week. We were pleased to see him tucking into his prawn meals and becoming more active in his tank. After a 17 day stay in our Rehabilitation Centre, we were confident Glen had made a full recovery and took him to Watamu beach to release him into the Marine Park. You can watch Glen’s release below and see how excited he was to be free!

Spear fishing is illegal in Kenya and Glen was lucky to survive. Not all turtle’s are so lucky however, and are sadly poached for their meat, oil and carapace. We are pleased to be working with around 350 fishermen who contact us on catching a turtle as an alternative to poaching. We hope one day that the poaching of turtles, and other animals, will be a thing of the past.