News from the Italian Parks

After one year of care in two partner structures - Zoomarine in Pomezia and Anton Dohrn zoological station in Naples - two gorgeous Caretta Caretta turtles were released on the beach by the port of San Felice Circeo. The two sea turtles had been rescued in different places: in Santa Severa in November 2016 and in Ponza in July of the same year.

Circeo National Park, as the hosting authority, has coordinated the release together with Region Latium. The Port Authorities of San Felice and Terracina (included in the management of sea animals by order of the Ministry of Environment), the local Carabinieri Office for Biodiversity, and the Carabinieri command deployed at Circeo National Park took part in the release operation.

The rescue and the subsequent release were made possible thanks to the valuable help of the Tartalazio, a network coordinated by Region Latium, which is a reference organisation for all Latium's national and regional parks.  The two turtles, that had been named Valizia and Viventi, were released Tuesday, 30th May, around 2pm, on the small beach by the port of San Felice Circeo. Pupils of Sabaudia's "Giulio Cesare" school, together with their teachers and representatives of the junior high school, attended the event.

The two turtles returned to their independent life in the clear waters in front of the Promontory. Their release is the conclusion of the necessary care and rehabilitation procedures carried out over the last months at the Dohrn Institute in Naples.

The Park Authority is glad that the release took place in its territory, thus testifying to the quality of the water along the Park coast.

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