At first light in the morning on July 29th, the free beach at the end of Viale Canova in Riccione was the setting for an extraordinary event. Hundreds of spectators, including local inhabitants, tourists and families with children, gathered to witness the release into the sea of Nancy, an adult sea turtle of the Caretta caretta species. The animal had been accidentally captured by the meshes of a trawl net off the coast of Cesenatico. Recovered in critical condition, the specimen underwent a delicate rehabilitation process taken care of down to the smallest detail by the specialized team of veterinarians, biologists and volunteers of the Cetacea Foundation.
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Installed a satellite transmitter on the carapace
Nancy’s return to the water was not only a touching moment for the community, but also a fundamental step in the study of marine fauna. Before the animal returned to the Adriatic sea, researchers from the University of Pisa applied cutting-edge scientific instrumentation to its carapace: a satellite transmitter integrated with a video camera. This high-tech monitoring project sees the active collaboration of scholars from the CNR Biophysics Institute and technicians from the Danish National Institute of Aquatic Resources, united to trace the routes and behavior of the Caretta caretta in the natural habitat.
The crowdfunding project “We Are Not Islands”
The event saw Nancy transform into the official testimonial of an important environmental solidarity initiative. The turtle has become the symbol of “We are not islands”, a crowdfunding campaign launched on the IdeaGinger platform. The objective of the operation is to raise a sum of 20,000 euros, essential funds to ensure basic health care and assistance during the winter season for at least another twenty sea turtles that will find themselves in difficulty in the coming months.
The moving departure among the waves of the Adriatic
The release ceremony took place in an atmosphere full of wonder, with a crowd arranged in a semicircle who accompanied the turtle to the shore with prolonged applause. Nancy moved towards the water with determination, until she was completely immersed in the waves. Thanks to the equipment installed on the shell, its journey will continue under the watchful eye of scientists, allowing the collection of precious data on the movement dynamics of protected species in the Adriatic Sea.
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