Endangered turtle blown off course grabs 6am flight home from Cork to Gran Canaria

Three weeks after being taken into care by Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium, the sea turtle was booked on the Ryanair flight to return it to more familiar waters.

Endangered turtle blown off course grabs 6am flight home from Cork to Gran Canaria

A loggerhead turtle blown thousands of miles off route departed Cork Airport this morning for Gran Canaria.

Three weeks after being taken into care by Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium, the sea turtle was booked on the Ryanair flight to return it to more familiar waters.

The turtle was found in Galway by a local woman walking her dog on Roundstone beach and was brought to a vet in Clifden.

Mara the turtle, who turned out to be between five and six years of age, was cared for in Clifden where the vet gently brought Mara’s body temperature back to normal after being in the cold waters of the North Atlantic Ocean for a prolonged period.

Once able, Mara was transferred to Oceanworld Aquarium in Dingle, Co Kerry, for specialised treatment.

“We have previous experience of rehabilitating loggerhead turtles at the aquarium,” marine biologist and animal manager Louise Overy told The Echo.

“Once the turtle’s body temperature is restored, we can introduce it to our large tropical display at 24 degrees celsius.

Mara came to us on Friday the 13th — ironically it was her lucky day! We usually see turtles a lot sicker than what Mara was when she arrived at Oceanworld, with conditions like pneumonia, but Mara was tough and soon we got her restored to a full bill of health.

Now homeward bound on a flight to the Canary Islands with her animal passport and accompanied by two minders, Mara is sure to be glad of the kindness that has seen her being brought home.

Extreme weather conditions such as Storm Lorenzo can be responsible for transporting turtles like Mara such great distances from their southerly ocean habitat, but thanks to Ryanair it won’t be long until she is back in home waters.

“We reached out to a number of airlines and Ryanair kindly offered to take Mara on a flight from Cork to Gran Canaria. Mara will be accompanied by two members of the Oceanworld team,” said Louise.

Mara will travel in the normal section of the plane alongside the human passengers, she added.

Loggerhead turtles have existed on the planet for 110 million years and are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as endangered.

Loggerhead turtles can have a lifespan of up to 60 or 70 years of age.

- EchoLive.ie

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

More in this section

Smartwatch with health app. Glowing neon icon on brick wall background Health watch: How much health data is healthy? 
Cork's wild salmon warrior Sally Ferns Barnes looks to the future Cork's wild salmon warrior Sally Ferns Barnes looks to the future
(C)2024 Disney. Disneyland Paris – Disneyland Hotel Re-Opening Watch: Iconic Disneyland Paris hotel re-opens after two year renovation
ieParenting Logo
Writers ieParenting

Our team of experts are on hand to offer advice and answer your questions here

Your digital cookbook

ieStyle Live 2021 Logo
ieStyle Live 2021 Logo

IE Logo
Outdoor Trails

Discover the great outdoors on Ireland's best walking trails

IE Logo
Outdoor Trails

Lifestyle
Newsletter

The best food, health, entertainment and lifestyle content from the Irish Examiner, direct to your inbox.

Sign up
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited