Rescued giant leatherback sea turtle released
A giant leatherback sea turtle was released into the ocean at Praia da Rocha this past weekend after having been cared for in the aftermath of it getting accidentally caught and wounded in fishing nets in Figueira da Foz.
The male turtle is believed to be around 4-years-old and received medical assistance for three days at the marine animals rehabilitation centre in Quiaios, Figueira da Foz, after which it was considered to be well enough to be set free.
Marine biologists carefully let the huge creature go under the supervision of maritime police. Some might wonder why the turtle was set free at Praia da Rocha instead of where it was caught, but thankfully, Marisa Ferreira – a member of the rehabilitation centre – said that this was due to several factors. Mainly the conditions were not satisfactory for the release of the turtle off the Figueira da Foz Coast, and those at the Praia da Rocha coast were much better to carry out the procedure.
The operation also required the help of several other institutions such as the Southern Maritime Zone Command, the Portimao Naval Support Centre and the local Maritime Police, which provided the means of transportation necessary to transport the rather large creature onto the beach and then into the sea.
Marisa Ferreira continued to say that the place where the animal was released was irrelevant since these animals constantly migrate from one point to another. She continued to say that this was actually the first time when a turtle was released off the Algarve coast and she concluded in thanking the local maritime authorities for their support in this project.
The leatherback turtle is sometimes called the lute turtle – is characterized by a lack of bony shell – and is the largest of all living turtle species, this particular individual measuring a rather astonishing 1.80 metres and weighed about three hundred kilos.
