A loggerhead turtle, presumed to be less than a year old, was found upside down on the Belmullet Peninsula in County Mayo by a family out for a walk.
The six-inch turtle, being described as “an absolute miracle”, was found washed up on the Irish beach thousands of miles from home.
Loggerhead turtles are not usually found in Irish waters and can get carried here on the North Atlantic Drift.
The tiny reptile was found upside down, dehydrated, and couldn’t swim or move. In a true Finding Nemo-like tale, the turtle was brought to Oceanworld Aquarium Dingle for recovery.
‘Miracle’ loggerhead turtle rescued from Mayo beach – a drastic journey from home
Kevin Flannery, Director of Dingle Oceanworld, said it is very rare to find such a small turtle alive after making the crossing of the Atlantic from Florida.
He said, “Usually, birds would have picked them off or a shark or something would have eaten it or the cold shock from the water would have killed it.
“They would also die if washed up on rocks upside down. Being so tiny it’s an absolute miracle it survived”.
Cróga the brave – from the shores of Florida to the west coast of Ireland
The turtle, aptly given the name Cróga, the Irish for brave, was spotted by local man Cormac de Rosta. He was out walking with his two daughters on 13 February.
The turtle was initially brought to Achill Aquarium. Then, expert Kevin made the 12-hour round trip from Dingle to collect it.
Kevin said, “The poor devil would have been in cold-shock and usually they don’t survive. They are marine reptiles and need warm water of 20C plus.
“They hatch out in the Gulf of Mexico and spend a few years in the Sargasso Sea in the weed off Miami. When they are older and strong enough they drift over to the Canaries.
“But when they get these great storms off the US from the Caribbean they get washed too far north and they go into cold-shock and get carried by the wind and sea”. This is the third time a rare turtle species has washed up on Irish shores this month.
What’s next for little Cróga – eventually released back into the wild
Kevin said the female loggerhead was doing well and had already put on nine ounces (255g). She will be in the care of the aquarium in Dingle for the next couple of months.
Eventually, she will be released into the warmer waters of the Canaries. Kevin said, “The Irish Naval Service heading to the Mediterranean on humanitarian missions sometimes carry them down for us and release them into the water where the temperature is ideal.
“This is where they spend their teenage years before drifting back to the Caribbean on the Caribbean current”.
The diet of loggerhead turtles consists largely of jellyfish. A huge problem is that they often mistake plastic for jellyfish and end up ingesting huge levels.
In the case of ever finding a sea turtle washed up on our Irish shores, Sea Turtle Rescue and Reporting Ireland suggests, “If there is a sign of movement, please place the turtle in a cardboard box on a damp towel. Do not attempt to warm it up!”.
Even if there is no sign of movement, they might not be dead, so you can gently touch the area near their eyes or the soft tissue on their rear flippers to check for reflexes.
They advise contacting one of the Irish aquariums immediately, including Oceanworld Aquarium Dingle, Galway Atlantaquaria, and Exploris Aquarium.
