Abdulla Hameed, Educational Outreach Assistant at Olive Ridley Project | MV+ Exclusive

“These turtles live in the Maldives, so if we Maldivians don’t protect them then who will?” says Abdulla Hameed, an Educational Outreach Assistant at the Olive Ridley Project.

In this exclusive interview with MV+, Hameed highlights the importance of turtles to our marine eco-system, sharing findings from Olive Ridley’s research.

“We have found that the Green Sea Turtles have become endangered, and that Hawksbill Turtles are at a very high-risk of going extinct’ he explains.

Founded in 2013 by biologist Dr. Martin Stelfox, the Olive Ridley Project’s (ORP) roots are in the Maldives. During his time here, Martin rescued many olive Ridley turtles caught in lost, abandoned or discarded fishing nets, and soon he was joined by other kindred spirits who wanted to help in the cause of protecting these beautiful pre-historic reptiles. The NGO is dedicated to safeguarding sea turtles and their environments through initiatives such as rescuing and rehabilitating turtles, conducting scientific studies, and educating and engaging the public.

If you discover an injured turtle, ORP’s hotline (+960 9552205) is available. You can assist in ORP’s research by sending photos of any turtle you come across to seaturleid@oliveridleyproject.org