Kemp’s ridley turtle native to native to Gulf of Mexico found off the Dutch coast
Fishermen found a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle, native to the Gulf of Mexico, in their nets off the Dutch coast near Walcheren. The endangered turtle is currently in quarantine at Diergaarde Blijdorp. The zookeepers there hope to return her home to Florida once she has recovered.
Kemp’s Ridley turtles only occur in and around the Gulf of Mexico, so this critter had gotten quite lost, Diergaarde Blijdorp said. They named her Boeier after the ship that brought her in. “Young animals sometimes get lost and wash up hypothermic,” the Rotterdam zoo said. “Blijdorp is the only shelter in the Netherlands with an exemption to capture and release sea turtles and has a lot of experience in keeping turtles.”
Boeier is currently in a special marine quarantine at the Oceanium, where a vet examined her. “Her condition appears stable, although her shell is somewhat damaged. She is alert and swims actively,” the zoo said. The vet estimated her age around two to three years. “She can gain strength here, and if all goes well, she can be released back to Florida next year.”
Boeier will remain in quarantine for a few weeks yet. After that, she will be transferred to the mangrove area in the Oceanium, awaiting her return to her natural habitat.
The Kemp’s sea turtle is the smallest turtle living in the sea. The turtle can grow to two feet in length and weighs anywhere between 30 and 45 kilograms. The turtle is considered an endangered species in the United States, largely due to getting caught in fishing gear, destruction of nesting areas, pollution, and climate change.
“The population crashed in the mid-20th century to a low of only several hundred females nesting in the 1980s,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Washington, D.C. Researchers believe there were fewer than 250 nesting females in 1985, but that figure grew by 15 percent annually through 2009 because of conservation efforts. Progress has since stalled.
