More than 7,000 hectares were burnt during the gigantic fire which devastated the Massif des Maures last August. Since then, around thirty wild turtles rescued from the flames have been treated in the Tortues village of Carnoules in the Var.
It’s been over a month and a half than turtles had not set foot on their land, in the plain of the Moors (Var). Today, three wild turtles were able to return home even though their world was completely destroyed by flames. Thanks to a radio transmitter, scientists will follow them every week for a year, just to see how they will reclaim this desert. “It remains a challenge for them to find places to hide; to find food, water, partners …“, indicates Jean-Marie Ballouard, scientist at the Station for the Observation and Protection of Turtles and their Environments.
For more than six weeks, the turtles were nursed at the Village des tortues de Carnoules (Var) by Franck and the staff. They were fed, housed, rehydrated and cleaned. “They are cleaned with a special chlorhexidine soap solution, and this solution removes all germs“Says Franck. When they arrived, most of the turtles had burnt shells.