Time at last... tis the season...
Neat story to kick off a Monday morning via Mote Marine
Neat story to kick off a Monday morning via Mote Marine
An endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle rehabilitated in Portugal after stranding in the Netherlands arrived at Mote Nov. 29 for the last stop in its journey back to the wild.
The Kemp’s ridley turtle was rescued in November 2008 in the Netherlands, where it probably drifted on ocean currents after becoming cold-stunned. The turtle was stabilized at the Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands and sent to the aquarium Oceanário de Lisboa in Portugal the following summer, and then transferred to the theme park Zoomarine for rehab.
Zoomarine staff identified the turtle as a juvenile Kemp's ridley — a highly endangered species that spends this part of its life feeding in relatively shallow, warm waters of the western North Atlantic, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico, which is thousands of miles from where it was rescued.
It took an international team effort to get the turtle back to Florida. Zoomarine staff worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service, The U.S. Embassy in Portugal, the Portuguese airline TAP and Mote Marine Laboratory to obtain all the special permits and arrange for the animal’s travel and care once in the U.S.
The turtle's travels earned it the nickname "Johnny Vasco da Gama" for the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, who opened the sea route from Europe to India. The turtle was named "Johnny" in the Netherlands and gained its explorer name in Portugal.
Johnny was flown from Portugal to Miami in cabin space donated by TAP, accompanied by caregivers from Zoomarine. "This was an amazing journey on every level," said Élio A. Vicente, Director of Science and Education at Zoomarine. "After two and a half years, this is a perfect ending."
The Kemp’s ridley turtle was rescued in November 2008 in the Netherlands, where it probably drifted on ocean currents after becoming cold-stunned. The turtle was stabilized at the Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands and sent to the aquarium Oceanário de Lisboa in Portugal the following summer, and then transferred to the theme park Zoomarine for rehab.
Zoomarine staff identified the turtle as a juvenile Kemp's ridley — a highly endangered species that spends this part of its life feeding in relatively shallow, warm waters of the western North Atlantic, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico, which is thousands of miles from where it was rescued.
It took an international team effort to get the turtle back to Florida. Zoomarine staff worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service, The U.S. Embassy in Portugal, the Portuguese airline TAP and Mote Marine Laboratory to obtain all the special permits and arrange for the animal’s travel and care once in the U.S.
The turtle's travels earned it the nickname "Johnny Vasco da Gama" for the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, who opened the sea route from Europe to India. The turtle was named "Johnny" in the Netherlands and gained its explorer name in Portugal.
Johnny was flown from Portugal to Miami in cabin space donated by TAP, accompanied by caregivers from Zoomarine. "This was an amazing journey on every level," said Élio A. Vicente, Director of Science and Education at Zoomarine. "After two and a half years, this is a perfect ending."
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