Royal Navy Rescues Turtles

Royal Navy warship crew have released six juvenile loggerhead turtles into the wild, after the animals found themselves adrift off the British coast.

The young loggerheads, caught up in the tide and transported to the cold British waters, were washed ashore, apparently from the Caribbean or east coast of the United States by Atlantic currents and high winds. The turtles became weak and inactive due to the much cooler water temperatures, a response known by marine wildlife experts as `cold-stunned´, and were washed up onto the British coastline. Four of the turtles were discovered along the coast of Cornwall, one was located and rescued on the Devon coast and the sixth was found by the sea in Anglesey, Wales.

The turtles found on the south coast were carefully collected and taken to the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay, whilst the one discovered in Anglesey was brought into the Anglesey Sea Zoo for care. The young turtles were affectionately given names by the highly trained staff caring for them, who believe the youngsters would not have survived if they hadn´t been washed ashore and rescued. The turtle found on Putsborough beach in Devon was named Holly, whilst the one which was located on the Moel-y-Don beach in Anglesey was gifted the name of Tonni. Of the four turtles rescued off the Cornish coast, Hayle was found (unsurprisingly) at Hayle, Gordon discovered in Bude, and Jason and Perran were found together at Perranporth.

Steve Matchett, who is the group curator for Blue Reef Aquarium, said that he and his colleagues were concerned that the turtles might not survive the first night, as all were severely dehydrated, emaciated, and barely responsive after having been cold for so long. The turtles, at this point, were unable even to feed themselves. However, with dedicated care from the experts at the sea life centres, all the turtles recuperated exceptionally well.

The Royal Navy has been crucial to the rehabilitation of the rescued turtles

This is where the Royal Navy stepped in, as the young turtles needed to be released into the wild in order to prosper and continue their lives as nature intended. Consequently, crew from Portsmouth-based Royal Navy warship HMS Medway were employed to transport the turtles back to a much more natural habitat in the waters surrounding the Azores islands, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Rod Jones, senior maritime environmental protection advisor for the Royal Navy, explained that being “professional mariners, many of us are keen to do what we can to reduce the loss of biodiversity at sea”. He elaborated to say that one of the biggest privileges and joys the naval officers experience is to encounter marine wildlife whilst out at sea, and that naturally the navy is more than willing to help protect and preserve the animals, as it increases their chances of coming into contact with the sea creatures in the future.