Magazyn IVSA Wrocław

(Animalwelfare) #1

reacting more than others, some are more habituated to people, so it is a
little bit difficult to choose a specific case. Sometimes we get very severe
cases of head injury and you can see the resilience of those animals, how
strong and feisty they can be through the treatment. I had a patient once,
who was very, very resilient and it was impressive. I was able to observe the
process of recovery and finally release that animal, who had overcome a
really severe, deep and extensive injury. Through the state they are coming
in, for me, every single turtle has its own story, from the moment that it is
found stranded or helplessly floating it the water. The whole rescue is a
coordination of many people, like coast guard, citizens helping us out and all
these turtles have to be transported by bus or by boat to come here, to
Athens. Then you see all this recovery, you treat each patient individually, you
focus on that patient. Every single one of them, every single life is unique.


I would also like to ask about behavior. As you said, they are wild
creatures. Do dangerous situations ever happen or are they rather
mild?


In general, we have the rule to be careful, especially with our fingers and
hands during handling of these animals. Everyone involved must be very
careful, both me and the volunteers, because turtles have powerful jaws and
can actually bite. They can leave a scar or even cut a finger off. They are very,
very strong. But it is not because they bite you deliberately, it is because of
the level of their stress. The majority is not used to human presence,
obviously they are sometimes in pain, it is a new environment, you can

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