Spring

The photo shows a beautiful Marine turtle (Caretta caretta) that was a guests, at the time of the photo, of the "Luigi Cagnolaro" Marine Turtle Recovery and Rehabilitation Center, located in Pescara (Abruzzo, Italy). The Center, born from a collaboration with the Cetacean Studies Center and the Municipality of Pescara, is part of the NetCet project and works, on a voluntary and non-profit basis, to care for sea turtles and cetaceans in distress from nearby coasts, and then give them freedom again. All Marine turtle guests, diverse in character and background, they're united bad experiences related to human activity, one of which is becoming entangled in fishing nets. Thanks to cutting-edge equipment and the active collaboration of veterinarians and biologists, who are also volunteers, many of them have been released into the open sea and have been able to fully resume their lives. This photo shows the moment before this sea turtle (named "SPRING" by the Center's volunteers) resurfaces from the tank where he was convalescing. In fact, a few seconds before re-emerging, they emit a characteristic snort which these creatures use to quickly expel air from their lungs and re-oxygenate once they surface. At the time of my visit to the Center, Spring was waiting to recover and be released back into the wild, cared for by the volunteers with great affection and evident passion...And she did it! She was released in August 2025. This shot is intended as a heartfelt wish for the beutiful Spring, and all the Marine turtles, to live free and safe, as well as a thank you for the work done by the CRTM "Luigi Cagnolaro", whose personalities put so much commitment and love into protecting the creatures that inhabit our seas.