Tunisia Rehab Barge Brings Hope to Turtles

On a barge hundreds of metres off the Kerkennah Islands in southern Tunisia, a group of students watches intently as Besma, a recovering sea turtle, shuffles towards the water and dives in.

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The barge, used to treat injured loggerhead turtles, is the first floating rehabilitation centre for the species in the Mediterranean, its organisers say.

Harbouring netted enclosures underwater, it allows the threatened species to receive care in saltwater, its natural habitat.

"It is important that the sea turtles recover in their natural environment," said Hamed Mallat, a marine biologist who heads the UN-funded project.

"We place them in a space that's large enough for them to move and feed more comfortably," he added.