While not as many people venture to Malta’s beaches over the cold wintery season, yesterday was business as usual for ERA representatives at Fomm ir-Riħ Bay. And for one unlucky baby turtle, that was the blessing it needed.

The tiny creature got trapped, as many do, ingesting polyester strapping it probably mistook for food. The representatives from the Environment & Resources Authority who were on site spotted the baby turtle in distress and quickly reported it. And thanks to Nature Trust, the handling and rescuing of the animal was carried out effortlessly. The little guy was even covered in a cute blanket for the whole process.

Luckily, the baby turtle survived the whole ordeal and was taken to a vet for the required TLC. Ghislaine Calleja, who has participated in multiple clean-up initiatives around the island before, shared the good news on Facebook this morning.

“Marine litter is a huge problem and will only get worse if we don’t start making lifestyle changes,” Ghislaine said. “Please open your eyes to it, plastic is destroying our planet.”

This is not the first time that a trapped turtle has ended up on Maltese shores, and the local fishing industry often finds itself as the centre of such controversies. “The fishing industry needs to be more responsible,” Ghislaine said. “There is so much ghost fishing gear present in our seas.”

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David Grech Urpani

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).