Toby (‘October’)

juvenile Hawksbill turtle, admitted October 2025, Huraa, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives

This juvenile hawksbill turtle named ‘October’ (‘Toby’ to his friends) was found on the shore of our neighbouring island, Bodu Huraa. He was extremely weak, dehydrated, hypoglycemic, anemic, underweight, and showed barely any reflexes. Clinical signs also suggested a lung infection.

Numerous tests have been carried out to better assess his health condition, to make an accurate diagnosis, and to formulate a treatment plan. Ultrasounds and endoscopies have been performed, and he is currently under antibiotic treatment.

After spending the first week at our rescue centre, where he was lethargic and barely conscious, Toby has improved remarkably. His first few days were spent in dry dock before transfer to a recovery tank. He appears to have overcome the lung infection and is now entering the weight-recovery phase via assisted feeding, until he gains the strength to eat on his own. Additionally, due to the lung infection, he is also presenting buoyancy syndrome, which we will need to treat.

Despite the poor health in which Toby arrived, he is now making steady progress and gaining strength day by day. We are optimistic and believe that he will soon be ready to be released back into the ocean.

November Updates

The second month for our newly arrived patient has been particularly challenging. During this time, we focused on one main issue: regaining the weight that was lost due to his illness. We placed special emphasis on Toby’s diet, but after more than 30 days without eating, we made the decision to start a force-feeding program. It has been a real challenge due to his extreme weakness. Little by little, and with a lot of patience, he’s gradually accepting food more readily, and seems to be slowly regaining his energy. He’s also started shedding his skin – a good sign of recovery!

The good news is that the antibiotic treatment ended at the beginning of this month, and we believe it has been a success! After a series of follow-up blood tests, it appears that the lung infection is gone, so it’s time to focus on regaining his weight. We’re also starting to work on his buoyancy syndrome to gradually remove air from his shell. We hope all these efforts will pay off soon and that we’ll have better news next month.

December

The third month for our sweet October has been a continuation of the same challenges. We are continuing to tube-feed him, and although he has gained some weight, he is still not eating on his own. The good news is that he has been more active, which can most likely be attributed to his weight gain. In general, force feeding for extended time periods is not ideal, for it can cause iatrogenic damage. We are hoping that 2026 will be his year to eat on his own and gain the strength needed to return to the sea!

January Updates

Good news this month, as Toby has started to eat on his own, without assistance! Not only did he show interest in different varieties of food, but has been continuously trying to dive down to catch it on the bottom. He is yet to fully submerge, but with persistence he will succeed. His self-feeding attempts coupled with routine tube feeding has put on weight, now at 4.25 kg!

February

Once again, Toby has made great progress in his recovery! In addition to a notable increase in his activity levels, his feeding behaviour has improved significantly. While last month he began eating on his own after requiring tube feeding since November, this month he has been consuming enough food independently for us to discontinue assisted feeding altogether. After a great deal of effort, Toby has now regained the weight he had when he first arrived. His buoyancy has also improved greatly, with only about 5% of his carapace now exposed above the water. Over the coming month, we hope he will begin to submerge on his own, and we will support this process with training exercises aimed at increasing his diving skills.

March

This has been another month of great improvement in Toby’s condition. After five months, our small hawksbill has finally begun diving again. Throughout March, she has been able to retrieve food from the bottom of her tank, which has led to a noticeable increase in activity levels and a slight gain in body weight. Her daily food intake has been progressively increased with the aim of reaching an optimal body condition prior to release.

April

Toby remained relatively stable. She continues to dive consistently and is able to retrieve food from the bottom of the tank without difficulty. However, despite increasing the daily amount of food offered, her body weight has remained largely unchanged. For this reason, antiparasitic therapy will be initiated to determine whether this may help improve her body condition. Nevertheless, we remain optimistic, and it appears that Toby’s release back into the ocean may be approaching soon.

May

Toby has remained stable throughout the month, continuing to dive regularly and feed well. Activity levels have continued to increase, reflecting her ongoing recovery and improving physical condition. If progress continues as expected, we hope to move her to a larger tank in the near future to support the next stage of her rehabilitation.

June

This has been another month of steady progress for our little Toby. After being moved to one of the larger rehabilitation tanks, he has been able to strengthen his swimming ability and rebuild muscle mass, an important step in preparing him for release.
His blood parameters continue to improve and are now approaching normal values, while both his appetite and buoyancy control have shown consistent progress. Toby has now entered the final stage of his rehabilitation, which focuses on restoring his physical fitness and ensuring he is fully prepared for a successful return to the wild.
If his recovery continues as expected, we hope to release him next month. We are looking forward to seeing him back where he belongs—in the ocean.

July … Release Day!

Having arrived in October of last year, this beautiful hawksbill proved to be quite a challenge for our team. After a slow and difficult adaptation to his captive diet, on 11 July Toby finally returned to the ocean. 

One of the greatest challenges during Toby’s rehabilitation was his recovery in body condition, which was slow and required many months of dedicated care. After reaching a dangerously low weight of just 3.6 kg and an extremely poor body condition, we are incredibly proud to have brought him back to an excellent 6 kg, making him fully prepared for his return to the wild.

During his time with us, this beautiful turtle captured the hearts of thousands of guests. His striking carapace also provided an excellent opportunity to educate visitors about the threats faced by hawksbill turtles, particularly poaching for their precious tortoiseshell, a valuable material historically used in jewellery and ornamental products.

On behalf of the entire team, we wish Toby the very best of luck in his new adventures. May he enjoy a long, healthy and prosperous life back in the ocean!