A stranded sea turtle found on the Kent coast has died despite the efforts of rescue teams and specialist vets.<\/p>\n
British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) received an urgent call on their hotline from a member of the public in Folkestone<\/p>\n
.<\/p>\n
The turtle, which was later named Moira, was rescued after being discovered by a member of the public. Picture: British Divers Marine Life Rescue<\/p>\n
The animal was identified as a juvenile loggerhead turtle, measuring approximately 43cm in length.<\/p>\n
Although cold and lethargic, it was still showing signs of life.<\/p>\n
Sea turtles are not built for the cold waters around the UK. When exposed to prolonged low temperatures, they can suffer from cold shock, a life-threatening condition that dramatically slows bodily functions.<\/p>\n
In this state, they can appear lifeless despite still being alive. Rapid or improper warming can be fatal, making specialist veterinary care essential.<\/p>\n
The turtle \u2013 later named Moira \u2013 was rescued by medics and moved to SEA LIFE Brighton to receive emergency treatment at the end of last month,<\/p>\n
She was found cold and lethargic on the shoreline in Folkestone<\/p>\n
On arrival, her internal body temperature was just nine degrees, which is exceptionally low for a species adapted to warm, tropical and subtropical waters.<\/p>\n
An aquarist team began the delicate process of a gradual and controlled warming, which must take place over a period of time to prevent shock and organ failure.<\/p>\n
Her treatment was overseen by their specialist vet, a member of the International Zoo Veterinary Group, ensuring Moira received the highest standard of care possible.<\/p>\n
Despite their efforts, Moira sadly died last Thursday (February 5).<\/p>\n
The rapid response from the public, BDMLR medics and expert care provided gave her the best chance she had.<\/p>\n
Despite the best efforts from specialists at SEA LIFE Brighton, Moira sadly died<\/p>\n
Cold-stunned turtles are among the most fragile marine wildlife patients, and their survival depends on immediate reporting and specialist intervention.<\/p>\n
They cannot survive in UK waters, except for the leatherback turtle.<\/p>\n
The animals usually arrive on our beaches as a result of human-induced environmental impacts, including a recent increase in storms, which is linked to climate change.<\/p>\n
The number of strandings is increasing year after year as a result.<\/p>\n
If you encounter a stranded turtle, please contact the BDMLR 24-hour hotline immediately, as quick reporting can make all the difference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A stranded sea turtle found on the Kent coast has died despite the efforts of rescue teams and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":419967,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[2851,1397,2556,192,191,90,56,54,55,4407],"class_list":["post-419966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-animals","tag-environment","tag-folkestone","tag-human-interest","tag-kent","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=419966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/419967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=419966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=419966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=419966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}