Loggerhead turtle ‘Crush’ cleared for transfer from Weymouth to the Azores

Loggerhead turtle ‘Crush’ cleared for transfer from Weymouth to the Azores to begin rehabilitation and release efforts.

Loggerhead turtle ‘Crush’ cleared for transfer from Weymouth to the Azores
Liberal TR Haber Merkezi
Publish: 09.07.2026
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Crush, a loggerhead turtle found cold-stunned on a Jersey beach after Storm Goretti on 19 January, has been given the all-clear to be returned to warmer waters, Weymouth Sea Life centre manager Seb Webster announced.

The malnourished turtle was initially treated by New Era Veterinary Hospital in Jersey and spent two weeks at clinical director Peter Hawarth’s family home before being flown to Southampton in a box and transferred to Weymouth Sea Life centre.

At Weymouth, Crush underwent quarantine and regular CT scans and weighing to monitor recovery, with the centre’s specialist animal care team and veterinary experts confirming her progress.

Crush is now in quarantine ahead of a planned 1,500-mile (2,500 km) flight to the Azores for release, and Sea Life staff expect the transfer to take place within weeks, potentially by the end of July.

Webster said some team members will accompany Crush from Heathrow and that she will spend a short period in a specialised facility in the Azores to recover from the journey before being released from a boat off the Azores coast.

The turtle was found apparently lifeless and suffering from hypothermia-like cold-stunning by a dog walker on 19 January; after treatment in Jersey she was flown to the UK for further care.

Loggerhead turtles inhabit subtropical waters off north Africa, and rescuers believe Crush was swept north by storms and currents, with similar strandings reported in Sussex, Suffolk and as far north as Tiree in Scotland.

The species is classed as “vulnerable” by the IUCN, with an estimated 2,000 breeding females worldwide and an average survival rate of about one in 1,000 hatchlings reaching adulthood; it is not confirmed whether Crush is female, but rescuers refer to her as “she” due to a relatively larger tail.

Liberal TR Haber Merkezi
Liberal TR Haber Merkezi
A digital news platform delivering developments in Türkiye and the world to its readers with an objective and principled perspective. Liberal TR Haber Merkezi.
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