Research Fund 23/06 :: Flossy Barraud
December 17, 2023
Research Fund 23/12 :: Elke Herbots
January 10, 2024
Remember when we released Iona back in October 2023?…
Turns out that it was such a successful operation that our friends from Dingle Oceanworld asked if we could take care of ‘Tobi’, another loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta, that found itself too far north and too damn cold!
Needless to say we immediately said “yes”, even though this animal was considerably smaller – and therefore far more delicate – than Iona. Little Tobi was 268 g when it was collected in Brandon Beach, Kerry County, on the 23rd of August 2023. It was very dehydrated and cold shocked upon arrival, but Dingle’s vet treated it with fluids, and brought it up slowly in temperature not to add to shock.
After clearing all the required paperwork and permits, last November we flew Tobi from Dublin to Lisbon and little Nikola (who, you will remember, released Iona in October) made sure Tobi was tucked in for the evening, nice and warm inside TAP’s office, before the flight to Horta, the morning after.
After a few weeks of tender-love-and-care, Tobi was released into the ocean on the 30th of December, to finish off the year in style! Our Azorean boss’ nephew did the honors, which is something we always encourage, because any child that experiences something like this will for sure become an avid Ocean Defender down the line.
We couldn’t be more thankful to the good-people from TAP Cargo and Groundforce who, once again, bent over backwards to ensure the little turtle had the smoothest possible ride!
