Animals British navy releases turtles threatened with extinction

Weakened and hypothermic, a total of six rare sea turtles have washed ashore on British beaches. After a long period of care in aquariums, a British Navy ship has now released the animals into warmer waters near the Azores in the Atlantic.

The young loggerhead turtles were probably carried to the UK by strong winds and Atlantic currents from the Caribbean or the US East Coast, where they suffered a cold shock, experts suspect. A total of four animals were found on beaches in the south-western English county of Cornwall, one each in Devon, England, and on the Welsh island of Anglesey. The species is threatened with extinction.

"All the turtles arrived weakened - in many cases we weren't sure if they would survive the night," said Steve Matchett from the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay. "All were dehydrated and emaciated." The animals had been cold for a long period of time, which is why they had not eaten properly.

Animal cargo on its way to the Caribbean

After the turtles had been nursed back to health, the Royal Navy's "HMS Medway" took them with her - all the way to the Azores, which belong to Portugal. The patrol ship was on its way to the Caribbean, where it was to join forces with the US Navy to combat drug smugglers.

"Encountering marine wildlife is one of the great joys of seafaring, and if we can help to make this more likely in the future, even if only in a small way, we are happy to do so," said Rod Jones, who is responsible for environmental protection in the British Navy. A return of the turtles to warmer waters is not the main task of the Royal Navy. But it is pleased to support the British plans for healthier and more diverse seas.

SDA