An Olive ridley sea turtle with a missing flipper flew from the sunny Maldives to her new home in the Scottish lochs
When April- as she is now known- was
first discovered by members of Marine Savers - a marine conservation team based
out of the Four Seasons Resort Maldives - she was floating on the ocean
surface, entangled in netting.
She was already missing her right
front flipper, while her left front flipper had been wounded by a plastic bag. Despite
the loving care April received at the Centre, ongoing buoyancy issues made a
return to the wild impossible.
Instead, the Marine Savers’
Flying Turtles Project arranged for April to jet off to a new home in the UK.
The continent-spanning journey
saw April leave the Maldives by speedboat, travel via plane to Glasgow, before
receiving a traditional bagpipe welcome in Loch Lomond- a journey over 8000 kilometers.
The Scottish facility were keen
to greet her with open arms. “We are thrilled to welcome April to the Loch
Lomond family,” says Kathryn Angel, General Manager of the SEA LIFE Aquarium. “To
have a turtle in our facility once again is a real pleasure.”
“We’re so proud of the hard work and dedication of our team, ensuring the magnificent creatures in our waters are cared for and live a happy danger-free life, and April is yet another example of this,” adds Angel.
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