A LOGGERHEAD turtle found exhausted on the beach at Glenbeigh, Co Kerry, will be returned to the wild next week after being nursed back to health at an aquarium in the North.
The turtle was found on the beach last March by members of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. It was resuscitated by Mr Kevin Flannery, a marine biologist with Bord Iascaigh Mhara.
It was then flown to Belfast and taken to the Exploris aquarium in Portaferry, Co Down, where the turtle, called Kerry, was treated for a damaged flipper caused by a shark bite. It responded well to treatment and is now fully recovered.
Kerry is believed to be 10 years old and has put on 9 kg - it now weighs 32 kg - during its stay in Portaferry. It was placed with another turtle, Leckie, which was found in the Channel Islands last year.
Loggerhead turtles are a protected species. Those found off Ireland have usually drifted here by following warm currents. They then get into difficulties when they reach colder waters or are blown further off course by storms.
Kerry and Leckie will be heading to the Azores on Tuesday where they will be released back to the wild from Faial Island in Horta.
The marketing manager at Exploris, Ms Carol Majury, said: "The turtles will be travelling from Belfast to Heathrow. After an overnight stay, they fly to Lisbon and on to the Azores. They will be released into the Canaries Current, which will carry them to their native Caribbean."