Conservationists strive to protect Lebanon’s sea turtles
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EL MANSOURI, Lebanon (Reuters) – On Lebanon’s beaches, endangered sea turtles have a human ally to help them in the face of myriad threats…
There are two species of sea turtle that breed in Lebanon, the green turtle, which is an endangered species and the loggerhead turtle, which is classed as a vulnerable species…
Mona Khalil, 77, founded The Orange House Project in 2000 to protect sea turtles on the south Lebanon beach in el Mansouri from predators, pollution and encroaching humans…
With sea turtles returning to the same beach where they were born to lay their eggs, Khalil relocates nests threatened by agriculture and installs metal grids to protect them from predators.
She also raises the eggs by hand at the group’s facility and released the first of this year’s baby turtles earlier this month. Every time there are new hatchings and turtles released she invites groups of families and school children to watch.
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Not everyone supports her efforts to save these creatures
Her activism was responsible for banning dynamite fishing in the area, which resulted in her house being shot at and attempts to burn her farm down…
Khalil is determined to carry on with her work, despite any hostility:
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“I fought for 17 years, so why not, 18, 19, 20 more. As long as God gives me life, I am a fighter.” – Mona Khalil, Founder, The Orange House Project
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