Featured Image Credit: Blue Reef Aquarium
By Laura O’Brien
Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles are the most endangered species of sea turtle in the world. A baby Kemp’s Ridley was found this on a frigid beach in Newquay, Cornwall after swimming 5,000 miles across the Atlantic. Dave Hudson, a student at Falmouth University, found the young turtle and drove it to the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay. He hoped that his warm car would help revive the cold sea turtle, which seemed dead when Hudson found it. Luckily, Hudson is a conservation and biodiversity student who knows that when sea turtles are extremely cold, they can go into shock.
The aquarium is now attending to the fragile baby sea turtle. The turtle is dehydrated and weak from the harsh circumstances of his journey, and his shell is damaged as well. Turbulent weather conditions may be to blame for sweeping the baby Kemp’s Ridley all the way across the Atlantic and stranding him on the beach.
A supervisor at Blue Reef, Lara Heaney, said that the turtle is already showing signs of improvement. Heaney gave a hopeful message about the endangered turtle, “although it is still very early days we are hopeful for the turtle’s survival”. We hope that the hard work of Blue Reef pays off and that the tiny Kemp’s Ridley will make a speedy recovery.
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