Angel Fitor
Training Day
Baby loggerhead sea turtle in a recovery centre, Spain, 2022
Category - Change Makers: Reasons for Hope
In this photo, a baby loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) is offered its first-ever jellyfish as part of a rescue programme set up in Valencia, Spain. At the Fundación Oceanogràfic, a crew of veterinarians and biologists works to raise the baby turtles hatched over the summer from nests dug on beaches crowded with tourists, with the hope of giving at least some of them a chance of survival. During this period, the turtles are fed abalanced artificial diet to encourage their development, as well as farmed jellyfish to train them for their future life when they are released back into the wild. Unfortunately, once they are back in the sea, there’s no real chance for the young turtles to learn the difference between drifting plastic and real food; no matter the dedication of these rescue efforts, there's no guarantee that they will be successful.
10-17 mm f/3.5-4.5 Lens - 1/8 sec at f/20 ISO 400