3 days ago
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Rare loggerhead turtle rescued from the sea near Oban
The Loggerhead turtle was found to have a missing flipper – though the wound had long healed.
On theory is that the lopsided marine reptile had drifted north due to its injury, and was propelled to the Scottish coast by the winds of Storm Floris.
Mr Taylor spotted the turtle while sailing down the western sound of Kerrera last week on his charter boat the Laura Dawn II.
Loggerhead turtles are more commonly found in warmer climes (Image: NQ) He said: 'I saw a basking shark in that area the day before, so I thought I'd go and have a look to see if it was still there.
'It had gone, but as I sailed past I noticed what I thought was a turtle swimming by. I turned the boat around and sure enough, there it was.
'It's not something that you see everyday. It was a bit of a shock, but awesome to see."
The turtle was also studded with Goose Barnacles, further hindering its ability to swim.
"This is becoming more common unfortunately, there's been quite a few Loggerheads found here over the last few years.
"There's Iona, who was found on Iona beach, that we took care of, and a couple in Sea Life Blackpool and Brighton too."
The turtle will is now being checked by vets before a decision is made on what to do with it.
It is likely the animal will need a period of rehabilitation before being released. But its missing flipper may mean it may not be safe to do so.
The turtle is being cared for at the Loch Lomond Sea Life centre (stock pic) (Image: NQ) Mr Sinclair added: "We've investigated what happened in terms of that flipper, it's not a new injury, it's actually healed quite nicely. We don't quite know the full ins and outs yet.
"We're working with some of the top vets in the UK and Europe to determine what kind of condition she's in. Our local vets are helping massively too.
"We'll be doing X-rays and CT Scans, but so far the signs are positive.'
The Turtle has begun feeding at the aquarium, and has been swimming in a tank.
Mr Sinclair said: "We've got her up to a good internal temperature, she's started swimming again, and is feeding.
"Our ultimate goal is to rehabilitate and release her, we need to determine the extent of her injuries and how severe they are first though.
