Green sea turtle rescued from Scottish island in first confirmed sighting

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 2 Nov, 23:38 · Archive

A green sea turtle has been rescued from North Uist in the Outer Hebrides, marking the first confirmed sighting of the species in Scotland.

A green sea turtle was rescued from North Uist in the Outer Hebrides on Thursday after being discovered on a beach by a member of the public. British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) was alerted and a marine medic attended immediately to rescue the animal, which would not have survived in Scotland's cold waters.

Green sea turtles are native to tropical and subtropical seas around the world and are named after the green fat found beneath their shells. The species feeds primarily on seagrass. This rescue marks the first confirmed sighting of a green sea turtle in Scotland and only the sixth recorded in UK territory since records began in 1875.

The turtle was cared for overnight on North Uist before being transported by ferry to Sea Life Loch Lomond, where staff stabilised it. It was then transferred to Sea Life Blackpool, where specialist staff continued caring for the animal with the hope it would recover sufficiently to be released back into the wild at a suitable site.

Marine Environment Monitoring urged anyone who encounters a marine turtle to report it immediately, either via their website if alive at sea, or by telephone on 0800 652 0333 if found on a beach alive or dead.

How it is being reported

• Rare green sea turtle rescued from Hebridean island in historic first for ScotlandThe rare animal was discovered on a North Uist beach, which is a first confirmed sighting in Scotland.Daily Record · 2 Nov, 23:01
• Green sea turtle rescued from Scottish island in first confirmed sightingTHE first confirmed sighting of a green sea turtle in Scotland has been recorded after the animal was rescued from an Outer Hebridean island on Thursday.The National · 2 Nov, 14:34

In this story: North Uist · Outer Hebrides · British Divers Marine Life Rescue · Sea Life Loch Lomond · Sea Life Blackpool · Marine Environment Monitoring · Scotland

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log