Turtle leaves west Clare for wilds

Eighteen months after being washed up on a Co Clare beach, an endangered species of sea turtle is to resume its journey to sunnier climes tomorrow.

It started in January 2000 when some people walking on a beach near the village of Quilty came across what they thought was a dead sea turtle. It is believed the turtle was blown off its intended course from Florida to the Azores.

The turtle - soon to be named Michaelangelo - was transferred to the nearby Lahinch Seaworld. According to Ms Joanne Flaherty, the aquarium manager there, Michaelangelo's recovery has been "nothing short of remarkable".

She said: "In the first number of days it was very touch and go, but after treatment he hasn't looked back. He is a very resilient creature and has more than doubled in size since he arrived."

Fed on a diet of squid, crabs and jelly-fish since its arrival, Michaelangelo has increased from 4kg to 9kg. During its time in Lahinch Seaworld, it became a local celebrity. Ms Flaherty said: "He will be sorely missed, but we couldn't have asked for a better recovery."

According to conservationist Mr Gabriel King, the fate of the sea turtle is grim. "Their nesting areas are being significantly eroded by human impacts, such as tourism-related developments, while pollution is also having a negative impact." It is estimated that loggerhead turtles can live to the age of 100 and cover 3,000 km in about three months.

Michaelangelo will be travelling considerably faster when it takes an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Portugal tomorrow.

Ms Flaherty said after spending a number of days at the Zoo Marine Aquarium in Portugal, Michaelangelo will be released into the waters off the Algarve.

That will not be the last its carers at Lahinch Seaworld will hear of Michaelangelo, however; they intend to attach a transmitter to it to track its initial movements as it resumes life in the wild.