Five Rescued Sea Turtles Released Back to Mediterranean Waters

Five sea turtles, named Miriam, Chapa, Matzav, Ran, and Nidal, were released back into the Mediterranean Sea on Friday at the national park at Beit Yanai beach. The turtles had completed their rehabilitation at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority's National Center for Sea Turtle Rescue. They had been treated for injuries to their limbs sustained from entanglement in plastic bags.

Approximately 250 people, many of them families with children, gathered at the beach to witness the release. The rescued turtles had spent recent months at the rescue center receiving veterinary care before their successful recovery.

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority also reported that around 50,000 visitors toured nature reserves and national parks during the Rosh Hashanah holiday. Popular sites included the Bama'ot Nature Reserve, Ashkelon National Park, Ein Hemed National Park, and Tel Afek National Park. Additionally, about 2,600 people stayed overnight in the authority's camping sites, with Horeshat Tal and Achziv being the most popular.

The authority also issued a warning regarding recent incidents where sea turtles found entangled in plastic bags were released back into the sea by individuals who removed the plastic. The authority stressed that any discovery of an injured or dead sea turtle should be reported to their hotline, and the animal, along with any attached plastic, should be brought to the rescue center for proper treatment, rather than attempting self-release.