Day: 13 June 2019

Turtle preservation in the Mediterranean is getting a major boost thanks to a new research facility at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. The addition of a turtle tank overlooking the sea is an opportunity for the public to meet real sea turtles, while serving as a rehabilitation centre before the marine animals are released back into the wild.

Sammy and Avril are two turtles living at the rehabilitation tank at the Oceanographic Museum. Born in captivity, they cannot be released into the wild so they were moved to their new home in Monaco in May. The two eight-year-old loggerhead sea turtles are part of a larger effort to rescue and rehabilitate injured turtles found in the area.

The tank, sitting outdoors on a terrace overlooking the sea, holds a variety of local fish and fauna, so injured turtles will feel at home as they recover. A locked door on the terrace leads to a section of the rehabilitation centre which is otherwise closed to the public. It is here where Olivier Brunel, the head of the Aquarium, oversees daily management of the institution. He explained how the centre, in coordination with other local turtle conservation organisations, works to ensure the health and safety of turtles in the seas surrounding Monaco.

The Oceanographic museum has also taken the initiative to educate local people who are frequently at sea on how to spot an injured turtle.

“We don’t have boats, they are our eyes on the sea,” said Brunel. “If they see turtles who need to be rescued, they can call us. We have arranged training on how to observe and know if a turtle is hurt, or just healthy and resting.”

Whether they are recreational fishermen, rowers or sailors, all sea-loving residents of Monaco play an important part in this new branch of the institution. An important centre for research since the 19th century, the Monaco Oceanographic Museum has focused efforts on turtle conservation globally, and they are making waves in sea turtle research.

Since March, the museum has hosted two training sessions to teach community members how to spot sea turtles and report back to the research and rehabilitation facility. If they are safe and happy, they should be accounted for and left alone. If they are injured, they should be brought into the centre in a safe way.

The first step is to see what kind of injuries the turtle has. Some receive injuries to their shell from boats, or they can become entangled in nets or ropes. A common culprit is plastics that turtles digest, then they and can no longer eat. A vet from the aquarium works with other professionals to solve the problems. For example, the turtles are given special food at the centre to facilitate good digestion and eliminate the plastic.

“If everything is fine and the turtle is well again, it goes to the rehabilitation tank where we will evaluate if it is well enough to go back to sea,” explained Brunel. “We put a tag giving its GPS position on the shell, which allows us to follow the turtle for a few months, to see its behaviour. It helps with scientific research and gathering general information from sea turtles.”

The Monaco Oceanographic Museum is an important link in French coastal research. Thanks to its partnerships with local sea goers and other French marine institutions, scientists in Monaco will contribute valuable information about these difficult to understand wild animals.

The rehabilitation centre will also be at the forefront of new ocean research. For example, a giant clam rescue project aims to repopulate a species that is quickly disappearing from the Mediterranean. They are setting up traps to collect larvae from these clams over the summer, to be inspected in September.

The Palace has revealed in detail Prince Albert’s recent trip to Normandy for the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. The Prince undertook the emotional journey accompanied by members of his family, including his father-in-law Michael Wittstock and cousin Chris Le Vine, as well as some unnamed American friends.

On Wednesday 5^th June the Prince visited the Grand Bunker Museum in Ouistreham, the centrepiece of defence and the famous ‘Atlantic Wall’ which mobilised two million men from 1941 to 1944.

In the early evening, Prince Albert joined the Caen Memorial, a museum dedicated to the history of the 20th century and two world conflicts, where he and his delegation were able to visit an exhibition by the famous American painter illustrator Norman Rockwell entitled ‘Rockwell, Roosevelt and The Four Freedoms’.

To close the day, a dinner was held in the Prince’s honour by Joel Bruneau, Mayor of Caen, at the City Hall which adjoins the Men’s Abbey, founded by William the Conqueror.

On Thursday 6^th June, Prince Albert went to ‘La Fiere’ in Sainte-Mère-Eglise, where retired colonel Keith Nightingale and the Friends of American Veterans recounted the bitter battle between paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and the German forces 75 years ago.

Then, Prince Albert visited the Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mère-Eglise and attended memorials dedicated to the airborne troops of Operation Overlord in the company of General Milley, Chief of Staff of the Army, and General Mingus, Commander 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.

A religious service was also organised in the church of Sainte-Mère-Eglise in the presence of American military and generals, the Chaplain and choir. Jean Quétier, the mayor of this small town which became famous in the United States, later presented the Sovereign Prince with the city’s medal and an honorary membership diploma of the Association of Friends of American Veterans, presided by Maurice Renaud.

On Friday 7^th June, the Prince and his delegation joined the city of Saint-Lô and the Memorial Hospital France / United States, an institution built in part by fundraisers from America. There he witnessed the unveiling of a plaque honouring Franco-American friendship and the laying of wreaths in honour of American veterans who came with their families.

The American, Monegasque and French national anthems sounded before US Air Force planes flew over the hospital.

Martyr city of the second world war, up to 90% of Saint-Lô was destroyed. In the 18th century Saint-Lô became a stronghold of the House of Grimaldi thanks to the marriage between Jacques IV and Louise-Hippolyte.

In his speech, Prince Albert said that we should no longer speak of Saint-Lô as Samuel Beckett once called it, the “capital of ruins”, but as “a capital of reconstruction and even of innovation”.

The Monaco Philosophical Meetings Awards Night has been held at the Oceanographic Museum and the event was marked by a number of highlights, including the award ceremony with jury members.

The ceremony was held on Friday 7^th June, and the winners were:

– Marie Garrau, Vulnerability Policy (CNRS Éditions) for the 2019 Prize, awarded to a French-language philosophy book published in the calendar year preceding its award;

– Emma Pallanca for the Lyceen Prize, awarded following a written competition;

– The Beautiful Letters for the Honorary Mention that distinguishes a French-language publisher illustrating itself in the publication of innovative philosophical works.

The evening opened with a lecture by Etienne Bimbenet, winner of the 2018 Prize, on the theme ‘What is philosophy?’. Percussionist Adelaide Ferriere then performed a musical interlude.

The 4th edition of the Colloquium was an opportunity for the public to meet the five finalists of the 2019 prize. It was also a change for them to participate in the 12 ‘Leçons de philosophie’ at the New National Museum of Monaco – Villa Sauber. The objective was to present the thoughts of major philosophers of the 20th century from a concept or a theme, a subject or an object, central to their work.