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Update: new estimated release time is 7:30 am. Sorry local folks! 🐢❤️

Our little Chloe arrived in our care at 6 am on August 18th. She is a young juvenile Green Sea Turtle. She weighed 590 grams on arrival and now weighs 720 grams. She has passed all her requirements for release and is now ready to go back to the big blue ocean.

She will be released October 6th at 7 am (weather permitting) at the North Beach area just south of the lifeguard tower)!🐢❤️

With heavy hearts, we say goodbye to the Turtle Center. Myself and many full time dedicated volunteers have been running the Sea Turtle Center, even before it officially had a name for nearly ten years. Sadly, I'm leaving kingdom, and my second in charge, Tina Holmes is final exiting soon after. Our two current turtle residents, will be flying to their new hospital near the Red Sea and will be in the very capable hands of our head veterinarian, Dr. Max Polyack.

We extend the biggest thank you and unending gratitude to the community of Ras Tanura, and Dhahran. In the early days when housing sea turtles in my backyard/ garage, and doing fresh water baths in my kitchen, fluids on my dining room table, and iodine rubdowns in my bathroom, we had a huge outpouring of community involvement. The turtles spent their days outside swimming in blow up Hello Kitty pools, because that's what was available to us. We formed bucket brigades every other day, and bucketed more than 100 buckets of water to change the garage, and back yard pools. Volunteers helped us build an insulated blanket wall, lined with pool noodles to keep my garage warm in cool winter months, they bleached equipment and scrubbed pools to keep our sick turtles from getting bacterial infections.

We gently treated turtles, with medications prescribed from the kennel club with guidance from many sea turtle experts through the years. Recreation gave us a larger garage and yard space, where we moved into part of the fire house, and continued the work of nursing sea turtles back to health and eventually to release back into the sea.

Still, Recreation, Community Services, and the Environmental Department saw the need for a larger more functional hospital and in late 2020, the Sea Turtle Center was built. We went from bucketing sea water, to using a front end loader to carry water, to transfer of sea water to tanks, to be brought to the center, which took, HOURS, by the way. We will never forget the flatbed truck, three tanks, and a pump, that we had to keep together with duct tape and love, while we ran eight extension chords from the cabanas to the boat launch. We struggled to keep the pump out of the sand while it slowly filled three tanks. This happened three plus times per week. 😂 the process now, has evolved to something much improved and our giant water truck brings us sea water to large holding tanks as needed. We've come a long way baby!

We have many people to thank, the countless volunteers over the past 10 plus years, adults and kids, from Ras Tanura and Dhahran. The boy scouts and girlscouts, the school groups all who have pitched in. We have had so many dedicated volunteers I'm lucky enough to count as friends, so many wonderfully talented and kind folks.

We thank the lifeguards who keep a watchful eye with us for stranded turtles, and nest sites. They notify us immediately and care for our sick turtles on the beach until we arrive. They have brought them into us, kept them safe, and checked in on them. They help manage crowds at releases and have swam along side us when collecting water or helping a turtle. We appreciate each and every one. If you see a life guard, thank them, they are amazing.

We thank the Arabian Kennel Club for there tireless efforts over the years of running tests, some times in emergencies on a Friday night when on their way to dinner or a function. They have dedicated much time and effort, even on their off days to help us in our efforts and we are lucky to have them. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

We thank the many organizations and private donations that we have had over the years to help keep us going.

We thank Recreation, Community Services, and the Environmental Department for their support in giving us the dedicated space and help with equipment needed, food for our patients, and financial support for medical care. We could not have expanded our efforts without them, and we thank you! Thank you Charmain Forbissah for always believing in us, fighting for our needs, and generally putting up with us. ❤️

We thank our full time volunteers who have dedicated themselves endlessly to the sea turtle program and whom without, we could not have continued, and there have been many. Kai Lauritzen, Kendle Enter, Mindy Reed, Patricia Pinzon Pitts, Kaaren Parsons, Tina Holmes, and Susan Slay. And our almost full timers, Maria Margarida Mendes, Ksenija Anzinofska , Heather Liv Melver. Without their dedication to the program it would not have continued. I can not say it big enough or loud enough, but THANK YOU! Thank you for your time, effort, many adventures, many celebrations of successes, and thank you for sharing in tears for our losses. ❤️

As we put together our farewell, to the turtle center, we hope that it's not forever. We will continue to keep you updated as our last patients relocate to their new hospital. Our hope is that an experienced generation will be able to pick up where we left off and to continue with this much needed effort to conserve and protect sea turtles, their nests and their habitat.

I have loved sharing this with the public all these years, and thank you all for helping and supporting us.

Most Sincerely, Cathy McDaniel

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Our 8th successful nest hatched and sometimes we get the reward of seeing some of the little ones make it to the ocean! Such rewarding work!

Our fourth successful sea turtle hatch of the season, more than 350 hatchlings so far. We are so
Lucky to work on this amazing project in the Arabian gulf, with amazing people!

3 nests hatched! Go little turtles go!

Apollo was found at 130g, and could fit into the palm of a hand,and he was released at a healthy 450g. We wish our little guy a long and happy life.❤️❤️❤️