Four of five loggerhead turtles washed ashore on the south-west and west coasts within one week are still recovering in Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium in Co Kerry.
The five were taken in by the aquarium in Daingean Uí Chúis after they were found by members of the public on beaches in Inch, Co Kerry, Lahinch and Kilkee in Co Clare, Conamara in Co Galway and Béal an Mhuirthead in Co Mayo last month. Unfortunately one did not survive.
Dr Flannery is appealing for support to return the loggerhead turtles to a warmer environment, such as the Gran Canaria Aquarium Turtle Hospital.
“Unprecedented” is how Dr Kevin Flannery of the aquarium has described the large number within such a short space of time.
Loggerhead turtles washed ashore on the south-west and west coasts within one week are recovering in Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium in Co Kerry
As RTÉ News has reported, Dingle Oceanworld has called for Government funding to assist its turtle rehabilitation programme – given that it is expected to come under increasing pressure due to rising sea temperatures in a changing climate.
Dr Flannery cited as an example the cost of collection, the cost of veterinary services, medication, heating, the cost of all the paperwork and repatriating them back to their native waters.
"We receive a certain amount of support from National Parks and Wildlife Service but we need much more,” he said.
Loggerhead turtles are normally found in the Caribbean and around the Canary and Cape Verde islands.
They are frequently found on the Irish coast, often in a very weak state, and, as reported by Afloat, Galway Atlantaquaria recently took in a turtle found in north Mayo by Jonathan Padden in late March of this year.
