@Sea Animal Rescue TeamThe weakened turtle, among the tangled mussels.
In association with
Broadcasting Zeeland
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 12:52
A rare Kemp’s sea turtle washed up again on the beach at Dishoek, near Vlissingen, this morning. It is the third time in a short time that this has happened. The animal appeared to be seriously weakened and was covered in encrusted mussels.
A hiker spotted the sea turtle on the beach around 10:15 a.m., reports said Broadcasting Zeeland. He called Jaap van der Hiele from the Sea Animal Rescue Team, who picked up the animal.
This is a slightly younger specimen than the two previous Kemp’s tortoises that were found, says Van der Hiele. The turtle seemed weakened. “You can see this, among other things, in the mussels that have grown on his shell. Normally they remove them themselves,” says Van der Hiele. “And the mussels also make them heavier, which makes it even more difficult for them to find food and further weakens them.”
Warm Gulf of Mexico
It remains unclear how Kemp’s sea turtles end up in the Netherlands. The rare animal is the smallest sea turtle in the world with an average length of about 60 to 70 centimeters and normally lives in the warm Gulf of Mexico. The animals may have ended up in the wrong wave stream.
At the end of October one ended up in the nets of fishermen from Arnemuiden. That animal was named Boeier, named after the fishermen’s ship of the same name. Last week one washed up on the beach at Zoutelande, not far from Dishoek. That animal was named Bløf, named after the Zeeland pop group.
This morning’s turtle is a bit smaller than the other two. The animal is named Mister T. The walker chose that name because one of his children surfs and calls himself Mister T.
Blijdorp in Rotterdam
Mister T., like his peers, is transferred to the Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam, the only place in the Netherlands where sea turtles are cared for.
Van der Hiele does not rule out that more will be found in the near future.
@Sea Animal Rescue TeamIn a basket to Rotterdam
2023-12-23 11:52:30
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