6 days ago
Rare green sea turtle found freezing to death on Irish beach back home in the Canaries
Named Solstice by her rescuers, she was found with severe hypothermia, among other illnesses, washed up on a beach on Christmas Eve
A rare green sea turtle was found freezing to death on an Irish beach is settling into her new, warmer home in the Canaries.
Named Solstice by her rescuers, she's now back swimming in her natural habitat, according to Spanish media, who have welcomed her home.
On Christmas Eve of last year, Solstice was found with severe hypothermia, among other illnesses, washed up on a beach by a woman who runs a hedgehog sanctuary in Quilty, Co Clare.
She brought her to the team at Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium in Daingean Uí Chúis, who established that the turtle was suffering from pneumonia and meningitis, likely brought on by the shock of the cold Atlantic waters.
Solstice is back home
News in 90 Seconds - May 28th
Further inspection revealed bite marks on the turtle's shell, likely inflicted by a seal or shark.
The turtle was fed with prawns and squids and treated with antibiotics and after six months being cared for in the aquarium, she gained strength and around 2kg.
Speaking ahead of her release, Director of Dingle Oceanworld Kevin Flannery said Solstice was embarking on a journey with Aer Lingus to Gran Canaria, where a dedicated wildlife rescue team was ready to assist in returning her to the wild.
"We are not exactly sure where Solstice came from, but we assume it was the Gulf of Mexico," Mr Flannery said.
He said that the turtle would be tagged before its release.
"The American Marine Research Centre - Woods Hole, it's called - they have found an island off of the African coast, where these green turtles come ashore and lay their eggs. So it may be from there. We don't know but I'm hopeful it is, and that with the tag, we'll be able to see where it's going," said Mr Flannery.
The young turtle, which would normally swim in tropical or subtropical waters, was probably taken by northbound currents before being washed up almost dead in Co Clare, Pascual Calabuig, a vet and biologist from the fauna conservation centre in Gran Canaria, told Reuters.
Having been flown by Aer Lingus to Melenara Beach in Gran Canaria, where she was released, Solstice is now in an ideal ecosystem for this species, 'which lives in tropical and subtropical climates and requires vegetation very similar to that found at the bottom of warmer waters', according to experts.
Although classified as endangered, green sea turtles, who take their name from the colour of their fat, not the colour of their shell, are fairly common around the Canary archipelago.
They can live up to 90 years in the wild and grow up to five feet.
