Shalom Stalone

RAC/SPA-SZN Tracking of Mediterranean Marine Turtles

A project of Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn.

click map for full-size version Shalom Stalone (Green Turtle) is on the coast of Egypt and 141 km from Gaza

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Species: Green Turtle
Life Stage: adult
Gender: Male
Release Date: 2012-05-19 12:00:00
Release Location: Beit Yannay National park, Israel
Last Location: 2012-07-28 11:33:25

Background

Shalom Stalone is a mature male green sea turtle, who arrived to the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority’s Sea Turtle Rescue Center after it was incidentally caught in a fishing net. Immediately after it was pulled on board, the fishermen called the Rescue Center for medical assistance. Then, the turtle was quickly transported to the facility.
In the Rescue Center,thorough medical procedures were conducted on Shalom, including an ultra sound and blood tests by the veterinarians Dr. Roni King, Dr Itzhak Aizenberg and Dr. Yael Grundland.
The results of the medical exams showed that the turtle is healthy and ready to return to the wild. Shalom, whose name means “peace” in Hebrew, has an 80 centimeters long carapace, weighs 63 kilograms, and its tail’s length reaches 42 centimeters.
Green sea turtles are very rare in the Mediterranean sea with a population of only a few hundred adults. In order to improve our understanding of this endangered specie, a satellite transmitter was attached to Shalom's carapace prior to the release. The transmitter was provided at the courtesy of Prof. Flegra Bentivegna from the Statione Zoologica in Naples, Italy, as a part of a conservation project supported by the IUCN RACSPA
To our knowledge this is the first satellite transmitter on a green mature male in the Mediterranean Sea.

hopefully, Shalom the green sea turtle will be a symbol of peace in the Mediterranean, showing the cooperation of different countries sharing the same Sea...