Rare baby loggerhead turtle found on beach
A COUPLE made a surprising discovery while litter picking on a beach last week – when they found a live baby loggerhead turtle 4,000 miles away from its natural habitat.
Jude Pearson and her husband Mike originally thought the turtle – rarely found in British waters – was dead, but when Mike picked it up, it moved its head and flipper.
With no phone signal on Gunwalloe Church Cove beach, the pair decided to drive the turtle to the Cornish Seal Sanctuary at nearby Gweek.
Staff there realised it needed urgent attention, so contacted the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay which took in the turtle for medical treatment. It was found in the same week as an equally rare deadly pufferfish was found on a beach in Newquay (see below). It is believed that storms at sea led to the creatures being stranded on Cornish beaches. Blue Reef Aquarium is monitoring the turtle. Dan Jarvis, from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) and Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Marine Strandings Network, verified that it was a rare find and there only a couple of sightings in Cornwall each year.
“Small numbers get swept off course by big Atlantic swells,” he said. “It is too cold for them in our waters. They will get hypothermia and their bodies will start to shut down, so a lot of them we see are in a very bad condition. Because their bodies shut down, it’s often hard to tell if they’re alive or dead, so it’s vital that if anyone finds one they contact us.
“It’s so important that if they are found alive they’re treated as soon as possible. If they’re dead then a post mortem needs to be carried out because they are so unusual.”
If you find one alive, contact BDMLR on 01825 765546 and if it’s dead, call the Marine Strandings Network on 0345 201 2626.