Rare loggerhead turtle washed up during storm

A rare loggerhead turtle - a species not native to UK waters - has been rescued after being found near-dead on a Suffolk beach after being washed ashore in stormy weather.

Steve Foreman was walking on Dunwich beach when he spotted the ailing turtle, which he initially thought was "just some debris".

He carried the creature back to his campsite and called in specialist volunteers from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), who assessed the creature.

BDMLR said it was then transferred to Hunstanton Sea Life in Norfolk, which has been contacted for comment.

Foreman, from Cambridge, who was on a short break with his wife Sue, found the turtle on the beach on Thursday.

"It had been really stormy, and there was a lot of debris washed up, but as I got closer I realised this was a turtle - but it looked very dead," he said.

"I picked it up and thought I saw a movement in one flipper, so I carried it back to the campsite".

They searched online for what to do and were pointed towards BDMLR, whose volunteers arrived within about 20 minutes.

"They assessed it and weighed it, and then it was taken to the sea life centre in Hunstanton," he said.

Globally, the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) is now listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

The creatures are the most common turtle in the Mediterranean, nesting on beaches from Greece and Turkey to Israel and Libya.

A BDMLR spokesperson said while loggerheads were rare in UK waters and did not belong here, the organisation was seeing more.

So far this year, it has been called out to rescues in the Channel Islands, Wales, Scotland, Dorset and Kent, "but I think we've only ever had one or two in Suffolk", they said.

"Sea temperatures are rising, and they get washed up here in storms, usually suffering from cold shock or being 'cold-stunned', so they can't move, and some people think they are dead," they continued.

"The people who found this loggerhead did exactly the right thing - some people try to put them back in the water, but that is the worst thing for them - we'd encourage anyone who finds one to call us, and we can get it to the experts."

The spokesperson said not all sea life centres were experienced or had the facilities to rehabilitate loggerhead turtles - but Hunstanton was one of them.

It can take up to a year before they are deemed fit for release back into warmer waters.

Foreman said he and his wife were keeping their fingers crossed for the "stunning little creature" they had found and that its turtle power would prevail and bring it out of its shell.

They nicknamed it Steve, although initial examination by BDMLR suggested it may be a juvenile female.

"We might have to refer to her as Stevie, then," Foreman added.

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