Loggerhead turtles' epic journey to Scotland surely deserves the Disney treatment

One of the three rescued loggerhead turtles prepares for a new life in the warm waters of the Azores (Picture: Sea Life centre) | SWNS

According to estimates, there are only 2,000 female loggerhead turtles of breeding age worldwide. And with only one in 100 hatchlings surviving to adulthood, the species is classified as “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. This makes every individual precious.

So when one was found in October last year on Troon’s South Beach, and another on Tiree the following month, conservationists sprang into action. Both animals were in considerable distress as Scotland’s seas are far too cold for them.

READ MORE: Endangered sea turtle recovering in Scottish aquarium after washing up on remote Tiree beach

However, after periods of recuperation at the Sea Life centre at Loch Lomond and others down south, the two turtles and a third found on Jersey have been flown to the Azores, where the warm waters will be much more to their liking (a sentiment many Scottish tourists will share).

Why the turtles, one of which was nicknamed Crush after the Finding Nemo character, ended up in the UK is hard to fathom. Clearly, now that a happy ending is assured, what we need is a Disney film to fill in the blanks of what must have been a truly epic adventure.