Turtle washed-up in Scotland released back into wild
A turtle which was found on a Scottish beach has been returned to its natural habitat, two years after being saved.
The animal, named Iona after the island on which she was found, was cold-stunned and dehydrated when she was spotted by a passer-by.
The British Divers Marine Life Rescue were contacted and Iona survived, despite not being expected to make it through the night.
She was rehabilitated at Sea Life centres in Loch Lomond and then Scarborough, before being moved to Azores in Portugal.
Sea Life Scarborough animal care curator Todd German says of the rescue: “She was found by a passer-by in the bleak midwinter, which is just incredibly lucky that she was found.
“She was really touch and go whether or not she would pull through and make it.”
Rachel Noble, a resident of the island, is proud of the life-saving response, saying: “The beach she was found at always has creatures washing up, but never as big as a turtle; we’re proud that she’s been named after the island and happy that she’s back in her natural habitat.”
Over the process of her recovery, Iona increased her weight tenfold from when she was found.
Mr German continued: “It’s quite surreal because she’s been with us for a long time.
“It was really strange in the fact that that was the end of my part in her journey and it was a really lovely feeling to see her go off into the big blue.
“We, as Sea Life, as aquariums, want to play our part in contributing back to the wild and hopefully giving the sea species and turtles the chance of survival for millions of years to come.”
Iona became the smallest loggerhead turtle on record to be stranded in the UK when she was found.
Institute for Research in Marine Sciences and Costa researcher Andrea Herguedes has fitted Iona with a satellite tag to track her behavior, explaining: “We are wondering if she will behave the same as a wild turtle after one year of rehab.”
Robin Hunter, display supervisor at Sea Life Loch Lomond, says of her new life: “To be able to see her now go and live the way she’s supposed to be living, that is a phenomenal feeling.
“There’s a small percentage of worry because you never know. It’s the wild at the end of the day, but she is a fighter.”
