Whether your taste in fairy tales is with Hans Christian Anderson or Scheherazade, it seems that Sea Turtles can have their own fairy stories with happy endings. All it takes is a good Fairy and a valiant Prince.

It was in February 2002 when Yasmine Mahmoud, an Egyptian young lady, saw, a sea turtle struggling to move in a very small bowl the size of her body, with dirty water and customers annoying and poking her, at a restaurant in Port Said where she had been on display for three years.

Her pleas on behalf of the turtle failed. She tried to contact many people and organisations, but the poor creature stayed imprisoned in her bowl unable to move. She even sent someone to try to buy the turtle but to no avail.

Enter our representative in Egypt Mohamed Nada, who we asked to help. He phoned the restaurant and was told that the turtle had been released, but Yasmine alerted him that she was still there. When next we heard from Mohamed he wrote: “It is 4.20 in the morning now, I just drove back from Port Said WITH THE TURTLE”.

The story goes that the owner of the popular expensive restaurant was very polite. Mohamed told him that complaints had been received about the turtle, and that this was not good for him or for the image of Egypt abroad. He said that he liked the turtle because she brought good luck; he only kept her for show.

But at last the brave Prince won, and he was handed over his treasure. He named her “Yasmine” to honour the good Fairy that saved her. When Yasmine heard the story, she cried, then laughed, and then she cried again.

Mohamed kept the 62 cm female loggerhead, in his bathtub for a week because she was weak, and needed to exercise her flippers. She thrived on a diet of squid and shrimps.

The Big Day came on 7/6/2002. Good Fairy Yasmine, 150 children from 4 schools, several parents, 20 teachers, representatives from the Egyptian Government, TV and Media were all there to listen to the sea turtle’s story. Valiant Prince Mohamed talked to them about sea turtles as if “Yasmine” herself was telling her story of how Yasmine had saved her. A drawing competition was held and the children showed amazing imagination and creativity. A 12 year old boy wrote “I wish I could have flippers so that I could swim with you forever, ‘Yasmine’”.

Mohamed, Yasmine and “Yasmine” the turtle went out to sea in a boat with the children excitedly shouting and waving goodbye. Mohamed jumped into the sea and was handed “Yasmine” by her good Fairy. He lowered her gently into the Mediterranean Sea.

When he came ashore the 150 children were waiting for him, asking “Is she back home now?” Yes, Yasmine was back home at last, swimming in the beautiful blue waters of the Mediterranean.
How is that for a happy ending of a fairy story that is true?

BEST WISHES TO ALL, FROM MEDASSET, THE BRAVE PRINCE – MOHAMED, THE GOOD FAIRY – YASMINE; AND OF COURSE FROM “YASMINE” THE SEA TURTLE WHEREVER SHE IS!