Posted by Wes von Papineäu on December 07, 1999 at 19:33:01:
REUTERS 03 December 99 Rare Turtle Washed Up After Sea Odyssey
Copenhagen : A baby loggerhead turtle -- a member of an endangered species -- was found on Denmark's North Sea coast after it had made its way from either the Caribbean or the Mediterranean.
The turtle, very much weakened after its odyssey, is being taken care of at Copenhagen's aquarium, biologist Hanne Strager at the aquarium told Reuters Thursday.
"The sea turtle is a very rare visitor to Denmark, it is only the second one this century to be washed up on our coasts alive,'' Strager said.
"The turtle is very weak and we are worried about its condition. It is swimming around in warm water and we are trying to feed it,'' she added.
Strager said the large-headed loggerhead turtle had made its way from breeding grounds in either the Caribbean or the Mediterranean with the help of the Gulf Stream, enduring the North Sea's icy waters in the last part of its journey.
The one-foot-long baby turtle, 6.6 pounds, was discovered on a beach on Denmark's west coast by a nature warden and sent to the aquarium.
Loggerhead turtles, one of several endangered species of turtle, measure up to 3.5 feet and can weigh some 150 pounds when fully grown.