Tiny turtle washed up on shores of Iona returned to the wild
The malnourished and dehydrated reptile was the smallest live stranded loggerhead recorded in the UK
A marine specialist measures Iona prior to her being released back into the Atlantic ocean
BEN BIRCHALL/PA
A sea turtle that washed up on a Scottish beach, malnourished and dehydrated, last year, more than a thousand miles from her tropical habitat, has been released back into the wild.
The tiny loggerhead turtle was not expected to survive after she was found in 10C water off the Isle of Iona in January 2022.
The reptile, which was nicknamed “Iona” by her rescuers, was the smallest live stranded loggerhead recorded in the UK at just nine inches from nose to tail.
She was spotted by a passer-by before the team at the British Divers Marine Life Rescue contacted Sea Life in Loch Lomond to bring her in for rehabilitation.
Tropical turtles usually wash up on UK shores after being pushed off course via the
