Muto’i (“police officer” in Tahitian) is a green turtle that was seized last August by the gendarmes of Moorea in an individual where she waited returned on the back before being cooked. She was at the side of another turtle, of which only the plastron (underside of the carapace) remained. Muto’i therefore avoided death and presented only superficial wounds upon its arrival which quickly healed. It was released in Moorea with of one of the gendarmes who rescued her and we hope she can continue to evolve in our Polynesian waters.

In June, Milla, a young green turtle was also rescued by a family aboard a sailboat while floating in the middle of a cluster of seaweed at marina in Tahiti. The impact on his carapace left no doubt as to the origin of his injury: a spear gun arrow that could have been fatal.

The two turtles moved in different directions when they were launched: Milla to the sea and Muto’i to the land…

The injury on Milla’s shell is healing well, thanks to daily care from Edwige, Anouk and all our other volunteers. It was moved to a quiet nursery to recover from the last turbulent days of the lagoon.

Muto’i, for its part, explores the bottoms of the rehabilitation lagoon, looking for food to feed independently.

 To bring their feeding conditions closer to those of the natural environment, we placed on the bottom of the rehabilitation lagoon, a specific device in which the fish was hooked.

The team at the center (veterinarians, educators, biologists, volunteers and trainees) works every day so that Milla, Muto’i and all our other residents can recover so that they can go back to the ocean and head for new adventures! Currently, there are 29 marine turtles in care!