Every morning, after Liu Zhenqiang splashes fish chunks into a murky pond, a huge green turtle with a mottled carapace slowly swims closer to enjoy its tasty breakfast. For Liu, who works for the Guangdong aquatic wildlife rescue science popularization base, it marks the start of a daily routine. The base is located on Naozhou Island, the largest volcanic island in China, off the coast of Zhanjiang in the western part of Guangdong province, renowned as the nation's "home of sea turtles".

The green turtle that Liu feeds is among the heaviest creatures at the base. It weighs more than 190 kilograms and consumes about 2 kg of green scaled fish or 5 kg of white gourds daily.

"When it first came here, it was extremely weak and weighed only half of what it does now," Liu said.

Six years ago, the turtle got entangled in fishing nets and cracked its carapace.

It was near death before being rescued and sent to the base. In the first few months, the turtle was unable to feed on its own; staff had to grind fish into paste and feed it through a tube.

"We also carefully cleaned its carapace with specially made disinfectant to reduce inflammation on the wounds and prevent oysters and other organisms from attaching to the exposed injuries," Liu said.

The green turtle is a first-class nationally protected aquatic wild animal in China and the only sea turtle species that comes ashore to bask in the sun.

Now that the injured turtle has fully recovered, the base is waiting for an expert assessment to ensure it is fully capable of surviving in the wild before releasing it back into the sea, according to Liang Aizhou, founder of the base.

"Zhanjiang is one of the major migration routes for wild sea turtles. Every winter, large numbers of them swim near Naozhou to spend the season," Liang said.

A variety of turtle species came under the base's care after being rescued by fishermen or confiscated during law enforcement operations.

Over the past 17 years, the base has provided treatment and rehabilitation for 252 sea turtles, along with countless other aquatic creatures, including Chinese horseshoe crabs and Chinese white dolphins.

"Every scarred life embarks on a delicate and lengthy journey of recovery. After diagnosing their injuries, we clean and disinfect their wounds and develop personalized treatment plans, including feeding, change of dressing, water maintenance and health monitoring," Liang said.

Liang, a resident of Naozhou Island, said his connection with turtles began in 1987, when he saved one in a market. The moment he saw the desperate eyes of the creature, he decided to buy it for 40 yuan and send it back to the sea.

In 2009, Liang dipped into his own savings to convert his private aquaculture farm into a protection base, which has become a haven of warmth for injured aquatic creatures and a study destination for local students.

Liang believes that rescuing injured animals is important, but perhaps even more significant is helping more people understand the necessity to protect them. He plans to set up a science popularization exhibition hall in the base to promote basic knowledge, such as the survival threats for sea turtles and other aquatic animals, and how ordinary people can help when they encounter injured animals.

In recent years, the number of injured turtles received by the base has shown a downward trend — from more than 10 in 2024 to six in 2025, which is seen by experts as a sign of progress in protection.

Liang said he is discussing cooperation with research institutions, including Guangdong Ocean University, to explore the possibility of artificially breeding sea turtles.

"It requires a suitable sandy beach environment, as well as technology and funding, so there is still a long way to go. But someone has to take the first step," he said.

Zhang Fei, deputy director of aquatic technology extension center with the Zhanjiang ocean and fishery bureau, said the bureau supports the upgrading and renovation of the base. "The bureau has allocated a special fund of 600,000 yuan ($86,700) for the maintenance of its marine ranch and related promotion and publicity projects," Zhang said.

Xie Ruiqi contributed to this story.

zhengcaixiong@chinadaily.com.cn