Shell-ebrity On Board: Rescued Sea Turtle Flown By Passenger Plane To Safety at SEA LIFE Weymouth
A rescued Loggerhead Turtle was today flown into the safe hands of experts at SEA LIFE after being recovered from a beach in Jersey.
Crush was discovered by walkers and has been in the safe hands of vets before getting a very special passenger ticket to board a one-hour Loganair flight from Jersey to Southampton.
Crush, named by vets, whose sex and age has not yet been identified, is now in the care of the specialist turtle rehab centre at SEA LIFE Weymouth.
Crush will be nursed back to health by expert curators before being returned to the turtle’s natural habitat.
Crush washed up on a Jersey beach during the recent Storm Goretti, having been swept far off course from the turtle’s natural habitat.
Loggerhead turtles typically live in much warmer waters and are rarely found in the Channel Islands, but powerful storms and ocean currents can disorientate them, leading to a condition known as ‘cold stunning’, where prolonged exposure to cold water causes their bodies to shut down.
After being discovered by a member of the public, weak and malnourished, Crush was taken to New Era Veterinary Hospital in St Saviour, Jersey where the turtle received around-the-clock treatment from Peter Haworth, clinical director at the practice.
Peter and his team contacted Loganair to see whether the airline could support them in moving the turtle to the next stage of rehabilitation and the most important stage, at SEA LIFE Weymouth, after it was decided that a ferry crossing would cause Crush undue stress and impact recovery.
Kico Iraola, curator at SEA LIFE Weymouth, said: “This was a careful and strategically planned process to bring Crush into our care.
“We will now come up with a bespoke treatment plan which will ensure Crush can be returned to natural waters as soon as possible.
“Crush will receive around the clock care from myself and my team. We have the best in innovative technology and are a leader in turtle rehab here at SEA LIFE with our focus on getting injured creatures back to their natural waters as soon as possible.”
SEA LIFE are experts in turtle recovery and rehabilitation.
A critically ill turtle rescued off the Guernsey coast in the autumn of last year made history as the first to be successfully released from the UK's pioneering Sea Turtle rehabilitation centre at SEA LIFE Brighton.
Barnacle Bill travelled to the Azores where she was set free in Atlantic waters.
The turtle was rescued from the coast of Guernsey in 2023 and brought to the £50,000 state-of-the-art centre in 2024, where she received months of treatment which transformed her into a healthy turtle ready for the wild.
The numbers behind the crisis are stark. Last year, 35 turtles washed up on UK shores - up from 27 in 2023 and just 12 in 2022. Climate change is pushing more turtles into British waters where they become 'cold-stunned' and need specialist help to survive.
If anyone comes across a stranded turtle they should report it to the Turtle UK Strandings Network on: 01239 683033.
Further details on SEA LIFE and the work it does is available from: https://www.visitsealife.com/brighton/
