The Fairmont turtle. The Fairmont turtle.

Fairmont Dubai is asking people to suggest names for its new adopted turtle, with the winning submission getting a Fairmont H20 package, which includes a stay at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi.

The adopted hawksbill turtle is 60 kilograms, and has a sharply curved beak and is part of the Marine Turtle Conservation Project with Emirates Wildlife Society in association with World Wildlife Fund (EWS-WWF).

Fairmont Dubai is the first hotel in the region taking part in this tracking programme to gather much needed information on marine turtle and their environment.

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According to Shelendra Singh, environment manager at the Fairmont Dubai, Hawksbill turtles are integral to marine life in the Middle East, “yet many are at risk of losing their natural habitats".

“Turtles are now one of the most endangered species in the world, and many will become extinct in a few decades without a conservation program,” she added.

To raise further awareness for this cause, from April 1 – 21, the hotel is reaching out to the local schools, businesses and the community at large to help name the Fairmont's adopted turtle.

Name submissions can be sent to dbi.environmentdl@fairmont.com or beth.mcintyre@fairmont.com

Marine Turtle Conservation Project

Launched in 2010, this research tracks more than 75 Hawksbill turtles from five different countries, including Qatar, Oman, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to identify their migration patterns during the course of three years. Using sophisticated satellite tracking, the program aims to understand the post-nesting migrations, and identify the foraging grounds of endangered marine turtles. These findings will contribute to the development of a regional marine turtle conservation plan, and these initiatives will be integrated with international conservation agreements on marine turtles.

Guests supporting this initiative can sponsor this research by purchasing turtle adoption packs for AED 200 from the hotel shop at the Fairmont Dubai. These packs include a soft toy turtle, a certificate of adoption, and information about Gulf marine turtles. The turtle sponsored by Fairmont Dubai can be tracked, along with other satellite tagged marine turtles, on the Marine Turtle Conservation Project website at www.gulfturtles.com.