Sea turtles are under threat from trawlers in the Adriatic. A center offers them a sanctuary

By TAIWO ADEBAYO, LUCA BRUNO and SARA LEMLEM
Associated Press

MARINA DI RAVENNA, Italy (AP) — A nonprofit in a northern Italy port city rescues and treats injured turtles that are sometimes hurt by trawlers in the Adriatic Sea. One of the patients at the CESTHA center, named Cenere, arrived four years ago with a broken shell and deep injuries that reached her lung. The biologists at the center used 3D printing to create a shell cover for her back, protecting her internal wound from water. It’s among 10 surgeries the turtle has had, and more care is necessary before the day she’ll hopefully be returned to the sea. The turtles that get returned to the wild are outfitted with trackers to monitor their movements and gather conservation data.