Rare turtles found on Scottish beaches

TWO of the world’s rarest turtles, from the Gulf of Mexico, have washed up in Scotland.

The sightings have prompted the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) to urge coastal walkers to be on the look-out.

Two of the turtles washed up on beaches in the Hebrides and Orkney, while a third was found in Wales.

They have been classified as “weather-blown strays” from warmer waters, and experts are concerned about the welfare of any others currently lost around the British coastline.

An MCS spokesman said: “The first turtle to strand this month was a young Kemp’s ridley, found dead at Baugh on the Isle of Tiree. It was discovered after heavy storms.

The spokesman said that Kemp’s ridleys are a warm-water species, and the rarest of the marine turtles.

“They are considered critically endangered, nesting only on a few beaches in the Gulf of Mexico.

“While the occurrence of Kemp’s ridleys in the UK is occasional, a recent recovery of the world population has meant an increase in the number becoming stranded on UK shores.

“The Tiree turtle was only the 36th of this species on record, but a few days later another young Kemp’s ridley washed up dead on a beach at Llanon, Ceredigion, West Wales.”

Dr Peter Richardson, a turtle expert and the MCS’s bio- diversity programme manager, said any sightings should be reported immediately to the society.

“It’s so important that people know what to do,” he added. “Dead turtles can be collected for important post-mortem examination, while live turtles can be rescued from a chilly death as long as they are not thrown back in the sea.

“The recent turtle strandings suggest there may be more turtles out there that could wash up on UK beaches over the Christmas holidays.”