Lost Sea Turtle Flown Home to Spain With Own Boarding Pass [Video]

A three-year-old endangered sea turtle that washed up in Ireland has been returned to its home in the Canary Islands on a commercial flight. It even had its own boarding pass.

The Loggerhead sea turtle was suffering from hypothermia when he was found. The turtle, named Julius Caesar or ‘JC’, was discovered on the beach in County Donegal.

JC has been living in Exploris Aquarium since he was found nearly three years ago. Airline Aer Lingus, the flag carrier of Ireland, partnered with the aquarium to fly him to Gran Canaria for his release.

Aer Lingus pilot, Captain Peter Lumsden, said: “It is our pleasure to welcome aboard a very special passenger today and to ensure the safe transportation of JC the Turtle to Gran Canaria.

“Since they first got in contact, Aer Lingus has worked closely with the team from Exploris Aquarium and our Maintenance & Engineering and Ground Operations teams to ensure that all JC’s needs are met as we complete this important mission.

JC’s temperature should be kept above 19 degrees for his wellbeing and he requires regular monitoring and shell lubrication so placing him in the aircraft hold was not an option.

He was placed in a specially-designed crate that was securely strapped across a number of seats in the cabin.

JC was only nine months old when he was found in January 2019, weighing a few hundred grams. He was believed to have gotten caught up in the wrong current and swept along the Gulf Stream.

Loggerhead turtles are endangered and they thrive best in warmer climates, so the chilly waters of the North Atlantic put JC’s life in danger.

He was found by a local family and taken to Exploris Aquarium to recuperate in a tropical tank.

The coronavirus pandemic delayed JC’s return home. Now weighing 25kg, he was packed into a waterproof crate and boarded flight EI 782 from Dublin to Gran Canaria.

JC’s caretaker, Portia Sampson, accompanied him to ensure he was safely passed over to the Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestrede Tarifa on arrival.

Less than 24 hours later, JC became fully acclimatized to his new home and was released back into the sea.

Loggerhead turtles are a vulnerable and endangered species and their numbers are in decline in the wild.

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) they are “the living representatives of a group of reptiles that has existed on Earth and traveled our seas for the last 100 million years.”

Source: Good News Network