A loggerhead sea turtle who accidentally reached on a Donegal beach back in 2019 has flown back home in a specially arranged Aer Lingus flight. The turtle named ‘Julius Caesar’ or simply ‘JC’ to the friends had been washed up on a beach in Donegal in January 2019 and had been under protection by care takers ever since.
He was found by a local family and then the wildlife preservation authorities took him to Exploris Aquarium in Portaferry, Co Down. He was just 9 months old then and was suffering from hypothermia after spending long hours in cold water.
He was then arranged warm water condition in the aquarium and given nutritious food. His return journey had been planned earlier but postponed due to the Covid restrictions in Ireland. Within two years he grew up healthy and now weighs 25 Kg.
As the restrictions eased, Caesar was taken back to home to Gran Canaria in Spain on 15 September 2021. The return journey was in an Aer Lingus flight and he was safe inside a specially designed waterproof crate to maintain a temperature not below 19 degrees.
Caesar safely landed in Gran Canaria and then visited a veterinarian at the Tarifa Wildlife Recovery Centre. He was later released back into sea. The Aer Lingus crew shared photos and videos of the voyage of Julius Caesar and are happy to bring the ‘special passenger’ back to home.
loggerhead sea turtles are an endangered species and the fully grown ones can weigh normally 100 Kg.