Julius Caesar swimming way back to full health

Julius Caesar swimming way back to full health

20 March 2019

A LUCKY loggerhead turtle is on the mend after receiving round the clock care by staff at the Exploris Aquarium in Portaferry.

Named Julius Caesar because he looked like a fighter, the little turtle appears to be thriving and seems to be enjoying the attention that comes with being a local celebrity.

Staff at Exploris say the once sickly turtle, who was discovered on a beach in Donegal in January usually prefers warmer waters of the mid-Atlantic and was a surprise discovery on the Irish coastline.

They believe he may have been caught in the Gulf Stream and carried hundreds of miles off course before being saved in the nick of time as he was about to become dinner for some hungry seagulls. 

JC was treated for ‘cold-stunning’ and hypothermia when he first arrived at the aquarium.  Since then Exploris curator Peter Williams has kept a watchful eye over the 18 month-old old turtle. 

Mr Williams said: “The loggerhead turtle arrived at Exploris Aquarium in a critical condition from a beach near Rosbeg, Co Donegal. 

“Since then we have been working tirelessly to slowly raise the turtle’s temperature by a couple of degrees every day. Our veterinary team also decided to administer a course of antibiotics as an increase in temperature heightened the risk of a secondary infection setting in.”

He added: “I am now happy to report that JC is making slow but great progress and is feeding well on a variety of fish and invertebrates. He is also receiving a gelatin diet, full of calcium, vitamins and minerals, which is important for the development of his shell. 

“As JC has taken well to rehabilitation we have decided that it is best for him to be moved to a larger space as he will have more room to swim and dive.

“Luckily he has responded well to treatment and is currently settling in to his new home where visitors to the aquarium will be able to get a glimpse of the vulnerable species as he continues to recover.”

The future is looking bright for JC as the team at Exploris will continue to monitor his weight over the coming months. They plan to release him back to his natural environment when he has fully recovered.

Loggerhead turtles like JC can live to about 50 years of age in the wild and usually reach about three feet in shell length.

Mr Williams says the ultimate goal is to release the reptile back into the wild in warmer waters.

This is not the first time Exploris has tried to nurse a lost loggerhead turtle back to health.

In January 2015, another loggerhead was found washed up on a Co Donegal beach and was also taken to Exploris suffering from hypothermia.

Staff named that male turtle Columba, but sadly it died a short time later, making JC’s recovery all the more remarkable.