Dr. Claire Petros
Marine Turtle Rescue Expert & Veterinary As a biologist and a veterinarian, Dr. Claire Petros has always had a passion for nature and has known from a young age that she had wanted to work with wildlife. After completing her undergraduate course in Biological Sciences at Oxford University she went on to complete her veterinary training at Bristol University with the Bristol Zoological Society Prize for Zoological Medicine. During her time in Oxford Claire Petros specialised in marine ecology, and undertook her final year dissertation studying coral bleaching in the Wakatobi National Park, Indonesia. It was during this time that she developed her love of diving, which inspired her desire to work closely with protecting marine life. Whilst at Bristol Claire Petros spent her final year elective in North Carolina State University (NCSU), she joined the exotic and Turtle Rescue team. During her time in NCSU, she witnessed a cataract surgery on a Loggerhead sea turtle. It was an invaluable experience that led to a deeper fascination in turtle medicine. After graduation Claire Petros spent some time in Grenada working as a research assistant for the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network. It was here that her ambition to combine being a ‘sea turtle vet’ and marine wildlife conservationist began. In November 2016 Claire Petros joined the Olive Ridley Project and moved to the Maldives to open a Marine Turtle Rescue Centre for ghost gear entangled sea turtles, the first veterinary clinic in the country. She is now their lead veterinarian at the Olive Ridley Project. Dr. Petros is also a Sea Turtle consultant for OceanCare since 2018, and is focussing her research on Aquatic Wildmeat in the Indian Ocean. Claire Petros’s work with OceanCare instigated the foundation for the creation of the Sea Turtle Rescue Alliance STRA which was launched in 2021. In 2021, she commenced a Ph.D. at the University of Oxford using the behavioural sciences to tackle unsustainable trade of sea turtle products in the Maldives.
Every year, approximately 9 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean – a deadly trap for millions of ocean inhabitants. Together we can stop the plastic wave and create a clean and healthy ocean.
The use of destructive fishing gear is one of the biggest threats to marine ecosystems. Together we can stop destructive fishing practises and protect the ocean and their inhabitants. The time to act is now.
Oil and gas exploration threatens marine ecosystems and life in the ocean. Together we can enforce a ban and protect our ocean. The time to act is now.
The deep sea is a unique habitat full of secrets and life. Resource extraction threatens to irreversibly destroy this treasure. Together, we can protect the deep sea. The time to act is now.
A healthy Ocean is essential for life on the blue planet.
We must stop harming our planet and start caring for it. The time to act is now.