Simon Jones
Published Oct 1, 2016 at 8:00 am (Updated Oct 1, 2016 at 1:01 am)

Daisy before her release (Photograph by Sideya Dill)

A stricken turtle that was nursed back to health by aquarium staff and successfully released to the wild has travelled more than 1,600 miles to the coast of Florida.

Daisy, the loggerhead sea turtle who was rescued by fishermen off North Shore last December, was released at North Rock in Bermuda last July. Before her release, she had undergone major surgery at the hands of hospital doctors and aquarium vets, and more than six months of rehabilitation at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.

Her Atlantic crossing, which has been monitored thanks to a satellite tag sponsored by the Neil Burnie Foundation, took about 40 days and landed her at Cumberland Island on the Georgia Coast.

Daisy in the water after being released (Photograph by Sideya Dill)

The latest data from the tag shows she recently passed West Palm Beach in Florida, a renowned hotspot for loggerhead turtles.

BAMZ curator Ian Walker told The Royal Gazette: “I am thrilled by her journey and the success of the care we collectively gave her — BAMZ and the hospital.

Well-travelled and fighting fit: Daisy, the loggerhead sea turtle rehabilitated by the
Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo, has completed a long-distance migration
across the Atlantic and is now voyaging the coast of Florida. Right.

“I would also like to stress that without the two fishermen, Aaron Bean and Sean Holland, who brought her in, this turtle would not be alive today. They made a real difference in the conservation of sea turtles by taking the time to help an animal in distress and should be congratulated again.”

Meanwhile, a juvenile green turtle that was caught by the Bermuda Turtle Project in Somerset Long Bay on August 10 has swam nearly 1,000 miles to the Bahamas.

Caption 4: Hardy made it to the Bahamas

The turtle, which was named Hardy and fitted with a tag to track its movements, recently reached Cat Island before heading south past Little San Salvador.

Dr Walker added: “Only designated personnel with the correct Government permits are allowed to handle sea turtles in Bermuda waters.

“The Protected Species Act mandates that these animals should not be handled or harassed in any way.”