A turtle has been released back into the wild almost two years after it washed up on a beach in Scotland.
The tiny turtle was found in a pretty bad condition off the Scottish island of Iona – which she was named after – in January 2022.
Her rescuers weren’t sure if she was going to make it at first, as she is a loggerhead turtle, a tropical species that needs warm temperatures to survive.
But after almost two years of recovery in the UK and Portugal, Iona has now been released back into the ocean by marine scientists.
Iona’s recovery journey
Back in January 2022 Iona was spotted by a passer-by on a beach on the Scottish island Iona in freezing 10C conditions, cold-stunned and dehydrated.
She was picked up by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, who then transferred her to Sea Life in Loch Lomond in Scotland for rehabilitation where she stayed until May 2022.
Robin Hunter, who was part of Iona’s care team at Sea Life Loch Lomond, said: “When she first arrived, she wasn’t in great condition and she was very dehydrated, very malnourished…. we really didn’t expect her to make the night.
“Bit by bit, with a lot of work from the care team, we were able to slowly raise her temperature. It was remarkable. It was like a totally different turtle.
“To be part of something like that is pretty spectacular. You really feel like you’re making a difference.”
After that Iona was moved to Sea Life in Scarborough where she stayed for just over a year for further care.
When her carers felt that she was ready, Iona was then transported all the way from Scarborough to the Azores in Portugal this month – a journey of around 1,700 miles – before waiting to be released back into the wild.
Todd German, who works at Sea Life Scarborough, said: “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,” he said.
Andrea Herguedes, part of the team who released Iona in Portugal, said she is confident that Iona will thrive again in the wild, describing her species as “super resilient”.
“To be able to see her now go and live the way she’s supposed to be living, that is a phenomenal feeling,” said Robin Hunter.
Source : BBC
