The rare Kemp's Ridley turtle nicknamed Tally after the beach it was found on in a sorry state in North Wales has been successfully released back into the wild.
Tally – named after Talacre Beach – spent months recuperating at the Anglesey Sea Zoo after her cold-water shock ordeal. She was rescued from the beach in November 2021 – some 4,700 miles away from her native waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
Anglesey Sea Zoo director and owner Frankie Hobro accompanied Tally on the long flight from the UK to the United States, and worked with Texas-based Gulf Centre for Sea Turtle Research to release her back into the wild.
Frankie released Tally into the warm waters off Stewart Beach in Galveston late last week. A satellite tag was attached so her movements can be tracked in the coming months.
Anglesey Sea Zoo is fundraising to build the first dedicated turtle rescue and rehabilitation facility in the UK, to enable them to rescue and save more turtles by giving them the specialist care that they need, and to ensure that every turtle washed up on a British beach while still alive gets the best possible chance of survival.
Cold-stunned turtles are becoming more common in the UK due to increasing sea temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns and the need for a purpose-built facility is becoming more urgent every year.
The Sea Zoo currently still has Tonni in its care – the juvenile loggerhead turtle who washed up on the shore of the Menai Strait in January this year. Tonni has now recovered well and is at the pre-release stage of care, and is expected to be flown south in the Atlantic for release back into the wild in a few months time.
NB: Tonni is currently not on display and cannot be viewed by members of the public – the sea turtle is currently being carefully rehabilitated in quarantine.
Photo credit: Gulf Centre for Sea Turtle Research
