Turtle rescue plan moves slowly

Plans to repatriate an endangered turtle from Galway Atlantaquaria to the Canary Islands are moving at a snail’s pace.
‘Leon’, a 15-year-old loggerhead, is hoping that someone with a private jet will give her a free lift to Gran Canaria.
She washed up on a beach in Quilty, Co Clare during a storm in November of last year, and has been recuperating in the Atlantaquaria in Salthill, where her weight has almost doubled to 20kg, and damage to her carapace (shell) has cleared up.
However, because of the logistics involved, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) cannot rely on a commercial flight to send her home.
Dr Simon Berrow of the IWDG said: “[County Council Veterinary Officer] Rita Gately, the Atlantaquaria and Dublin Zoo have all been trying to find a way of transporting her to the Canaries, make sure she is ok and release her off one of the islands.
“Unfortunately, we cannot find a way of flying her to the Canaries due to issues with transport of live animal, long overnights (15 hours) in the hold in Madrid with no access to her etc. At this stage, it seems impossible to fly her using commercial airlines.
“Time is ticking for us and the experience has gone from a very positive one, with the knowledge that this turtle has been saved, into a more negative one as we struggle to release her into the wild for a second chance,” said Dr Berrow.
All of the import and export licences for transport from Ireland to the Canaries are in place. He pleaded with anyone who knows an owner of a private jet to get in touch, if they can help. When found, Leon had pneumonia and an eye infection and a lot of damage to his carapace.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.