Environment, Science & Technology

I wrote on April 23 about Willy, the  tough little Kemp’s Ridley seaturtle who swam across the Atlantic in 2007, ended up nearly dead in Devon, was rescued and returned to good health in the UK, and flown back  home to the United States on April 23 with some help from the Environment Office at the U.S. Embassy London.

Kemp’s Ridley  seaturtles are a highly endangered species, so saving even one from death is an important contribution to our natural world.

I heard today from the director of the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center that Willy is doing fine, has a healthy appetite, and enjoys eating blue crabs.  She basks in the sun and apparently likes to “take a shower” where the water flows into the tank.  Willy should be released into the wild in July.  I wish her well.

This is such a remarkable story of the life and times of a tough, gritty seaturtle and the  many people in the UK and United States who saved Willy’s life and got her home.

Update 25 June 2009: we now have a YouTube video of Willy’s safe return !

In January 2007, a young “Kemp’s Ridley” seaturtle that began life in the warm waters off the southern United States got very lost.  She swam all the way across the Atlantic and ended up in Devon, nearly dead from hypothermia and starvation.  Thanks to a number of good people and organizations in the UK, the young turtle, now named Willy, was rescued from a certain death and taken for care to the Sea Life Center in Weymouth.

Today, Willy returned to the United States, this time in robust health and in luxurious style. She was flown, with a specialist handler from the Sea Life Center and a BBC film crew, by American Airlines directly to North Carolina, where she was met by a veterinarian, officials, schoolchildren, and the local media.  The Environment Office at the U.S. Embassy in London assisted throughout the process to help arrange Willy’s return.

Willy will spend a few weeks at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, and will then be released into the wild.  The stories she’ll be able to tell!!

Update 25 June 2009: we now have a YouTube video of Willy’s safe return !