News from Newquay
BLUE REEF TO THE RESCUE OF RECORD THIRD TURTLE STRANDING
Newquay's Blue Reef Aquarium is caring for a record third sea turtle after it was discovered stranded on a beach in Wales.
The turtle, which has been nicknamed Flash by keepers, was found lying on its back by a family out walking at Ogmore by Sea, near Bridgend.
Mark Major, his partner Rhia Gregory and their two children initially thought the turtle was a large crab. It was only on closer inspection that they realised it was a turtle and contacted the RSPCA.
On arrival at the scene an inspector from the RSPCA and the British Divers Marine Life Rescue identified it as a loggerhead and took it to the RSPCA centre in West Hatch, Somerset.
From there it was taken to the aquarium in Newquay to begin its recovery.
Blue Reef's David Waines said: "Flash was in a very poorly condition when he arrived here. He's only about 20cms long and was suffering from dehydration and a possible lung infection.
"He's now in our quarantine unit where he's being treated with antibiotics. We're also having to tube-feed him but he's responding well to treatment and seems to be getting stronger day by day."
Aquarists are also gradually rasing the temperature of Flash's tank with the eventual plan of releasing him back into the wild once he has made a full recovery.
Turtle strandings have reached unprecedented numbers in 2008 with 33 animals having been discovered around the UK.
No one is sure why numbers appear to be on the increase; possible factors are sustained westerly currents which are pushing the turtles, and their favourite food jellyfish, further and further north from their usual hunting grounds in the mid Atlantic.
The two other turtles that were rescued by Blue Reef - James and Dink - were successfully released back into the wild on the Canary islands in June.
