KUWAIT: Kuwait Diving Team called Thursday for protecting the rare and nearly extinct sea turtles, especially the ones in Az Zour, south of the country. Team leader Waleed Al-Fadhel spoke to KUNA about the new phenomenon taking place in Az Zour, saying they have identified a couple of turtles residing on the sands. Al-Fadhel called on sea-goers to refrain from approaching the sea turtles, poaching them, or compromising their nests.

He explained that discarded plastic nets could potentially suffocate the turtles, adding that clear plastic bags are also a suffocation hazard as turtles consume them believing them to be jellyfish. The plastic bags could also obstruct their congestion tracks, prohibiting them from consuming sufficient food. Currently, sea turtle nests in Kuwait are limited to Qaruh Island, where they are being monitored and observed by researchers. Since its establishment in 1986, Kuwait Diving Team has conducted a variety of activities to protect the turtles and rescue them, Al-Fadhel elucidated. — KUNA