Turtles rescued in Scottish water released in warmer climes
Creatures found in distress rehabilitated and given new home off the Azores
Rare turtles rescued off Scotland’s west coast are set to be released after being flown 1,600 miles to the Azores.
One loggerhead turtle, named Crush by her rescuers, was found washed up and lifeless by a dog walker on a beach in Jersey on January 19.
She was suffering from a cold shock and hypothermia, but was then flown to Britain to continue her recovery at Sea Life in Weymouth, where she was cared for by experts.
After a period back in quarantine, Crush has been flown 1,600 miles to the islands in the Atlantic Ocean, along with fellow loggerheads Eden and Tiree, who were rescued on the west coast of Scotland in 2025.
Eden was found on 9 October last year by a walker on the South Beach at Troon.
When discovered, she had a critically low body temperature. She was taken to Sea Life at Loch Lomond, where she was gently warmed and given initial treatment, then a week later transferred to the special Turtle Rehabilitation Centre at Sea Life in Brighton.
Tiree was named after the island west of Mull where the turtle was discovered in distress on 3 November last year by a walker on a beach. Tiree came to Weymouth after being first looked after at Sea Life Loch Lomond.
She also spent a short time in Blackpool receiving specialist around-the-clock care by experts at both aquariums.
Sea Life Brighton has the UK's first permanent rehabilitation centre dedicated to sea turtle recovery.
Curator Joe Williams said: “This is a success story, not just for Eden but for Sea Life teams. Since building the UK's first turtle rescue and repatriation centre in 2024, we have been dedicated to supporting and saving turtles that arrive on UK shores unnecessarily through anthropogenic effects.
“Though it's sad to wave Eden goodbye, we feel full of joy for her to leave us and continue growing up, and to be part of this vulnerable species' conservation efforts.”
Kico Iraola, curator at Sea Life Weymouth, added: “Both Tiree and Crush were very poorly little turtles when they came to us here at Weymouth.
“Throughout their rehabilitation, we were in constant communication with our vets at International Zoo Veterinary Group to monitor their health.
“We initially raised their temperature to bring them out of cold shock, and they underwent a series of routine blood tests, X-rays and CT scans before being deemed fit for release.
“We have really enjoyed seeing them grow and come back to full health and now to embark on the next stage of their adventure.”
Loggerhead turtles are classified as ‘vulnerable’ on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List, with numbers of breeding females estimated at 2,000 worldwide and only one in 100 hatchlings surviving to adulthood.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.