ShareKUWAIT: Acting director and member of the administrative council at the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) Dr Hamad Yaseen said on Monday the center has released a number of animals in the wild over the past few years after treating and rehabilitating them after they suffered various injuries and diseases, calling on everyone to safeguard the local environment and flora and fauna and not cause any damage to them.
“A number of turtles that were part of the rehabilitation program last year have recovered from pneumonia and malnutrition through medical examinations and careful follow-up by the specialized team of the scientific center,” Yaseen said. “Tracking turtles is of great importance in saving these creatures and studying their movements and behaviors in the natural environment.
When tracking turtles and providing them with tracking devices, the success of rehabilitation programs, their areas of existence, their movement paths and their feeding sites are determined. The care team is able to keep them safe and intervene in the event of health or environmental problems, and this helps improve turtle conservation programs and determine the best ways to rehabilitate and release them into nature,” Yaseen explained. Turtles are symbolic animals for preserving the marine environment and promoting awareness of the importance of preserving living organisms and biodiversity.
As for penguins, he said: “It is one of the organisms classified under threat of extinction due to habitat loss, overfishing of its food sources and pollution. The number of African penguins in the world is estimated at about 14,000 breeding pairs in the wild. The center has been very successful in re-breeding programs of these penguins and breeding them in captivity.
The African penguin reintroduction program aims to reduce pressure on species in the wild and improve their chances of survival.” As for eagles Yaseen said: “Threats lie in habitat loss as well as poisoning from human activities such as the use of pesticides, poison baits and hunting. Strict regulations and laws have been put in place to curb these actions that can harm the entire wildlife.”
Notably, in 2022-2023, a number of wild and marine animals were handed over to the specialized team of the Scientific Center by the Environment Public Authority in Kuwait, where 12 birds including eight falcons and three eagles, five sea turtles and finally five reptiles were delivered for rehabilitation and restoration to wildlife.
