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Adopt a Sea Turtle

11 Jun 2022

Prodivers is committed to the protection of the underwater world and one of the conservation initiatives we are involved with is the support of the Olive Ridley Project (ORP), a sea turtle protection and research program. Globally, sea turtles are endangered but here in the Maldives, especially the Lhaviyani Atoll, we enjoy numerous sightings during snorkelling and scuba diving trips, most commonly the hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles. The Olive Ridley Project relies completely on donations and runs a sea turtle adoption program to help fund its work.

By adopting a sea turtle, either for yourself or as a gift, you will help to:

– Disentangle and care for more sea turtles
– Remove harmful ghost nets and prevent further harm to marine life
– Fund scientific research on sea turtle populations
– Fund educational outreach programs

All donations go directly to Olive Ridley Project, a UK based charity organisation with marine biologists stationed in the Maldives (including at Kuredu’s Marine Center) along with a turtle vet, a turtle hospital and a rehabilitation center.

Adopt a turtle patient
By adopting one of our turtle patients, you will help pay for veterinary care and facilities, medications, food, transport, rescue operations, and our work to protect sea turtles and their habitats in the Indian Ocean. You will receive an adoption certificate with the history of how that turtle came to our Rescue Centre and updates on how his or her recovery is going. You will also be notified in case of a live release to be broadcast on Facebook.

Name and adopt a turtle
As part of our Turtle Photo-ID program, we offer adoptions of newly identified and still nameless sea turtles, which have been added to our database with only an identification code. When you adopt a turtle, you get to chose the name! You will receive your adoption certificate via email. With a bit of luck, your turtle will be seen and identified again and you will receive an email update. Of course, we can’t guarantee any resightings since they are wild animals.

Adopt a famous sea turtle
Adopt one of our famous sea turtles and help protect sea turtles and their habitats in the Indian Ocean. Your digital adoption package includes a personalised adoption certificate, a ‘turtley’ awesome wallpaper for your phone, A PDF copy of Marine Turtles of the Maldives: A field identification and conduct guide co-written by our very own Dr. Jillian Hudgins and email updates whenever your sea turtle is re-sighted for 1 year. Please note that these are wild animals so we cannot guarantee the frequency with which they are sighted. Many green and hawksbill sea turtles tend to have a favourite reef where they like to hang out. As a result, many of them are sighted frequently by divers and snorkelers. Some of them have been sighted almost one hundred times!

Green Sea Turtle Maldives

Photo credit: Olive Ridley Project