COVID Health Staff Asked To Help Release Turtles To Sea

A Spanish marine life organisation have paid homage to health workers for all their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic by asking them to help release five rescued sea turtles back into the sea.

The Oceanografic Foundation in the coastal city of Valencia, in the eastern Spanish province of the same name, had been looking after the five turtles until they were ready to be released back into the ocean.

The turtles had been staying the area of recuperation and conservation of marine animals (ARCA), also known as the sea hospital, treated for different issues over the last few months, according to local media.

The video of the rescue shows a large group of people made up of rescuers and the hospital representatives with their family members.

According to local media, the ceremony was attended by ten representatives from five hospitals of the city.

The representatives released the turtles one by one, who were previously christened with the names Malilla, Geni, Malvarrosa, Arni y Peset.

The images show the group carrying large plastic containers with the turtles inside. The Foundation workers can be seen explaining the procedure to the rest of the group before carefully lifting the turtles out of the box and handing them over to the health workers who release them onto the sand.
The turtles can be seen dragging themselves along and swimming into the sea.

The vice president of the Oceanografic Foundation, Mercedes Calabuig, said: “It has been a special release of turtles because the whole society is in debt to our health workers for the great work they have done and continue to do against the pandemic.”