JCS LivestockJCS Livestock help in turtle rescue transfer
JCS Livestock are proud to have participated in the transfer of five Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) from the US to the UK.
Their Florida home, The Turtle Hospital, was coming under high demand due to a recent spate of strandings in Florida. The turtles were also out-growing their home and need special care as a result of their injuries. Green Turtles are distributed around the globe, and are listed as “Endangered”- mainly as a result of interactions between turtles and humans including boat collisions and the disturbance of nesting beaches.
These Green Turtles- Sharky, Gumbo, Josie, Cracker and Ali, all have injuries as a result of boat collisions and have been cared for at The Turtle Hospital in Florida to treat their injuries ranging from paraplegia to carapace damage. Since receiving their injuries the turtles have been unable to dive, and therefore feed. As a result they have had weights surgically inserted, along with fibreglass carapace repairs, to enable them to dive.
They flew from Miami to London in specially made flight crates and were kept at optimum temperature (22-25 degrees Celsius) in the hold. Sea Turtles can dehydrate quickly, and are definitely not used to air travel, so the utmost care was taken to make sure that they were kept moist and as calm as possible during the flight. On arrival the turtles were checked at the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre and given a clean bill of health prior to loading onto our livestock vans for the last leg of their trip. We are able to keep the environment in our van at the best temperature for them to make sure of their safe arrival at the Sea Life Centre in Weymouth.
Sea Life have modified their current facilities to accommodate the disabled turtles, allowing easy access to the turtles and they will now be a star attraction and serve as a reminder of the hazards that the creatures face in the wild. Education plays an important role in the conservation of the Sea Turtles around the world.
JCS Livestock have been proud to assist with the move and hope that the turtles do well during their stay. The juvenile turtles are 15 years old at present and turtles in the wild can live up to 80 years, so they could be with us for a while!
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