Rhossi, a rare Kemp’s ridley sea turtle that washed up near death on a Welsh beach in 2023, has returned to Texas after more than two years of rehabilitation in the UK.
The turtle was found cold-stunned and in a coma-like state by a dog named Meg on a beach in Rhosneigr, Anglesey, in December 2023. Native to the Gulf of Mexico, Rhossi is believed to have been swept across the Atlantic by the Gulf Stream before becoming stranded.
He was taken in by Anglesey Sea Zoo, where staff cared for him for around two and a half years before he and the zoo’s director, Frankie Hobro, flew about 8,046 kilometres from London to Houston on Monday.
“So, Rhossi was really small, really tiny, so like 25 centimetres, less than a kilo when we found him,” Hobro said, adding that he was probably only one or two years old at the time.
The turtle underwent blood tests, X-rays and a CT scan at the Houston Zoo on Tuesday ahead of his planned release.
“He’s very strong, he’s very well-fed,” retired senior veterinarian Joe Flanagan said. “And there’s no signs of external disease or trauma. He swims normally, he dives, he surfaces, he breathes fine.”
An X-ray revealed some shading in Rhossi’s lungs, which Flanagan said could be historical scarring, possibly from pneumonia. Veterinarians ordered a CT scan to investigate further.
If the results raise no concerns, Rhossi is expected to be released into the Gulf of Mexico near Padre Island National Seashore in south Texas on 18 August.
Hobro said Rhossi had thrived on a diet of live crabs during his rehabilitation in Wales.
“He’s grown really well, he’s developed really well,” she said, adding that within a couple of years he could be ready to breed in the wild.
Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are among the world’s smallest, rarest and most endangered sea turtles. Flanagan said they still face threats including fishing nets and plastic pollution, but described seeing rehabilitated turtles eventually return to nest in Texas as “a thrill”.
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