Sea turtle will return to Texas after washing up in Wales

A rare sea turtle found near death, one ocean outside of its normal range, will finally return home after a transatlantic flight.

Tally, a female Kemp’s ridley turtle, is scheduled to be released Tuesday into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, said Mary Kay Skoruppa, sea turtle coordinator for the US Fish and Wildlife Services said Texas Public Radio in an interview published on Saturday.

A dog walker had spotted the turtle in an ailing and decrepit state off the coast of Wales’ north coast in November 2021. according to a press release by the Wildlife Authority. Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles typically live in the Gulf of Mexico and coastal waters of eastern North America. But occasionally the Gulf Stream can snatch young turtles and drift them into the frigid Northeast Atlantic.

“It’s quite unusual,” Skoruppa told TPR. “But the most unusual thing is that she survived.”

Tally clung to her life and was admitted to Anglesey Sea Zoo in Wales, where she underwent months of intensive rehabilitation. Wildlife officers also had to go through the complicated process of obtaining the appropriate paperwork for Tally – a member of a endangered species ― travel back to the United States. They also had to work out the logistics for safely transporting a sea turtle by air, a task that was ultimately taken on by Turtles Fly Too, a non-profit organization dedicated to sea turtle translocation.

After arriving in Texas, Tally spent time at the Houston Zoo to relax and regain her strength. After her long journey, she also underwent a thorough veterinary examination and received a clear health certificate organization announced on Friday.

Before Tally returns to the sea, the researchers will attach a tracking device to her tank, but it won’t stay there forever. “Just long enough for us to track her movements and see what she’s doing after she’s returned to the wild after a nearly two-year absence,” Skoruppa said.