​Bellver artists research at the aquarium

Bellver International College IGCSE Art and Design students visited The Aquarium for first hand research on sea life as part of their coursework projects.
The students also attended a workshop where they learned about The Aquarium’s SOS program to rescue turtles in trouble and be cared for in the onsite hospital.
All the rescued turtles are named and given identifying microchips to track them once they have recovered and are out at sea again. 
Turtles have been found with various ailments, largely due to garbage in the sea. One turtle was found floating on the surface of the sea, due to an overload of plastic it had eaten, mistaking it for jellyfish or plankton. Another turtle was found trapped so badly in torn rope, nets and plastic fibres that it had lost one of its front fins. This turtle will be able to live but find difficulty in mating.
Students were also shown the hothouse where diverse species of coral are bred and cared for to replace any damaged or unhealthy coral in the fish tanks.