It took two years, a helicopter ride from Wales to London and a flight across the Atlantic, but Rhossi the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is finally back in Texas.
After traveling 5,000 miles to Houston, Rhossi is settling into his new surroundings at Houston Zoo while the zoo’s veterinary team assesses his health before deciding if he can return to the Gulf of Mexico.
Senior veterinarian Dr Joe Flanagan briefly came out of retirement to treat the turtle. Rhossi received checks of his organs, eyes, mouth, shell and flippers, along with X-rays and a CT scan. The exams found lingering pneumonia in his lungs.
The zoo’s team said Rhossi appears healthy, active and vigorous overall, and will keep treating him until they can “ensure the best possible chance of a successful return to the wild”.
Rhossi’s survival story began on a beach in Wales in December 2023, when a local dog found the injured turtle, which weighed 2 pounds. He had been cold-stunned in frigid North Atlantic waters and was rescued before being sent to Anglesey Sea Zoo for rehabilitation.
Anglesey Sea Zoo spent two years nursing Rhossi back to health. During that time, he more than tripled his weight and now weighs 46 pounds.
Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are native to the Gulf of Mexico, but can be swept into ocean currents and carried thousands of miles across the Atlantic.
Rhossi arrived back in Texas on August 10 after years of care in Wales.
His return involved coordination between the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, NOAA, Anglesey Sea Zoo, Texas State Aquarium and Welsh helicopter pilot Darren Briggs.
Houston Zoo said a portion of each admission ticket supports its sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation program.
Read more from Good News Network.
