Help Biscuit Fly to Dubai!

Help Biscuit fly to Dubai! Biscuit, a sea turtle that is missing 3 out of 4 flippers, can sadly not be released back into the wild again. To give him a better life, we want to bring him to Dubai Aquarium! Additionally, he will show people what harm we can do to this adorable species and other marine life. To be able to do this, we want to raise USD $10,000.

Biscuit's Story

Biscuit is an Olive Ridley sea turtle of approximately 3 years old that was found washed up on the shore of an island in North Male Atoll on the 16th of December 2021. When he was found, he was missing his front right flipper and part of both his back flippers, meaning he only has one fully functional flipper. The exact reason why he lost his flippers are unknown, but there are two explanations possible: he either lost them as a result of ghost net entanglement, in which he got entangled so badly that his flippers got amputated, or he lost them as a result of poaching where poachers cut of his flippers for human consumption.

After Biscuit was found, he was brought to Atoll Marine Centre, our turtle rehabilitation center located in Lh. Naifaru in the Maldives. Whilst Biscuit was unable to dive when he was found, he learned how to dive again shortly after his rescue. Now, almost two years after he was found, Biscuit has recovered completely and is a very competent swimmer, as well as a very playful individual who loves the attention from both caretakers and visitors of our marine center. However, due to him only having 1 functional flipper, he cannot be released back to the ocean as his chance of survival will be very low.

With our marine center being a rehabilitation center, our main focus is on helping injured sea turtles on their road of recovery and to bring them back to the ocean as soon as possible. This means that we are not designed to keep sea turtles on the long term, and cannot give sea turtles the enriching life they deserve when they cannot be released. Therefore, we want to move Biscuit to the Dubai Aquarium so his quality of life can be improved. Additionally, by being in the aquarium, he will be raising awareness about the pollution and poaching issues that are still the reality of the Maldives and surrounding countries. The agreements and paperwork for the move is all done and permission has been given by the EPA Maldives, but with a sidenote – due to a change in regulations, Biscuit will be the last sea turtle that leaves the Maldives to go to an aquarium.

The Details

Our goal of this campaign is to “give Biscuit wings” and transfer him to Dubai before the end of 2023. When Biscuit will arrive in Dubai, he can have good and enriching life and simultaneously teach people about sea turtle conservation efforts and the main issues that sea turtles are facing which can decrease their chances of survival. As we want to optimize our opportunities to teach people to be more conscious about their actions and how they affect the marine environment around them, we are aiming to make a documentary about Biscuit’s journey so his story can be told all over the world, as well as a children’s book to share Biscuit’s inspirational journey! To reach this goal, we need to raise 10.000 USD, and every small donation helps! When you support us, you not only help Biscuit fly to Dubai, but you also get to contribute to sea turtle conservation and rehabilitation efforts over the world, as with every donation we will create an incentive for fisherman to retrieve ghost nets from the ocean and bring them back to land. Additionally, you can see the sea turtle you helped yourself when you get a chance to visit Dubai Aquarium!

Helping Biscuit will not only benefit him. By making a donation of USD $50, $75, or $100, you will be registered in our turtle adoption program for 3 months, 6 months, or 1 year respectively, where you can get monthly updates of one of the lovely turtles we currently have in our center. More information about our turtles can be found on our website: https://www.atollmarinecentre.com/adopt-a-turtle.

For this, you can send a proof of donation to the email address on our website to finalize your subscription! By making a donation of USD $350, you will receive an entry ticket for the Burj Khalifa (ATT)*, and by a donation of USD $500 or more, you will receive an entry ticket for the Dubai Aquarium* and have a chance to visit biscuit!

Visit our Instagram for more turtle info!

*Only 10 entry tickets for the Burj Khalifa and 10 entry tickets for Dubai Aquarium are available. When a ticket is not available anymore, we will update this in the campaign text. Entry tickets exclude flights, accommodation, food, and any other activities performed during the trip.