Peggy

Peggy (RB.LO.050) admitted 25-Aug-14, from Kuramathi (Alif Alif Atoll)

‘Peggy’ a juvenile Olive Ridley turtle was found on 25 August 2014, floating with one missing front flipper, by staff from Kuramathi Island Resort. She was severely dehydrated, underweight and the right side of her carapace was damaged. Her missing flipper could be the result of a ghost net entanglement, and there were barnacle scars and plenty of algae covering her carapace, suggesting that she has been floating for a long time.

Peggy was cared for at Kuda Huraa, where she was rehydrated and treated with laxatives, regaining her appetite. She was then transferred to Landaa Giraavaru on 5 September 2014, for more rehabilitation and monitoring, in the hope of overcoming her buoyancy problems.

As part of our research into turtle buoyancy syndrome, “Image J” was used to record the above-water surface area of Peggy’s carapace, to see if buoyancy changed over time after air tapping treatment. No changes were observed in Peggy’s buoyancy.
Peggy is very active but cannot dive due to positive buoyancy and floats very high in the water. During feeding, we are offering varieties of food from different areas of the pool to encourage swimming. Occasionally, we have had to treat her carapace with anti-bacterial cream.

The Flying Turtles

On 9 August 2016 our marine biology team proudly launched its newest Turtle Rehabilitation Programme, “The Flying Turtles”.

Four Olive Ridley turtles – Kerry, Zahiya, La Petite and Peggy – made Maldivian and European history as they travelled by plane from Four Seasons Resort Landaa Giraavaru in the Maldives to begin a new life in Europe.

This is the first time that live sea turtles have been flown overseas from the Maldives for conservation and research purposes, and we think they are the only Olive Ridley species actually living in Europe.

Our Flying Turtles : From Maldives to Europe - enjoy our indepth report, photos and videos.

Updates 2019

Peggy is one of our famous Flying Turtles, initially rescued in August 2014, and after 2 years’ suffering from persistent buoyancy syndrome (unable to dive below the water surface, so non-releasable) she was sent overseas in August 2016, to start a new life at the Pairi Diaza aquarium in Belgium. Various tests were carried by the resident veterinarians, to better understand and target her buoyancy problem. She did not suffer from any infections or diseases, but a CT scan revealed the presence of gas in her body. After months of physical training to push her boundaries, Peggy started to dive for food, until one day she was found resting on the bottom of the aquarium. Pairi Diaza contacted us, to arrange for the return of Peggy to her natural environment, as she was now able to survive in the wild once more. After detailed talks about the reintroduction of Peggy to Maldivian waters, the process was initiated to bring Peggy home.

On 19 June, Peggy landed back in the Maldives, and after clearing her from customs, she was brought back to Kuda Huraa. Peggy is currently taking things easy, in her old rehabilitation pool at our turtle rehabilitation centre. Many thanks and congratulations to everyone involved in this momentous achievement ! 🙂

21 June 2019

This morning, Peggy was swimming energetically around her pool, and diving down to feed on her food of squid and crab. After a period of close observation, we have determined that she is healthy and ready for immediate release !

We attached a metal ID tag (MS0010) to Peggy’s flipper (in case she is spotted again, in the wild) and we also fixed a satellite tag to Peggy’s carapace. This will enable us to track her movements, and follow her route as she swims around the Maldives, and likely into overseas waters. Once the satellite data starts to be received, you can follow Peggy on our interactive map.

At 11am, Peggy was successfully released back into the ocean, cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd of well-wishers! Bon voyage, Peggy, and long may you continue your global adventures! 🙂