GSPCA staff wave farewell to Olivia the loggerhead turtle as she settles at Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre de Tafira
Submitted by Steve on 16:29, 29th Jul, 2016 |
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The GSPCA staff have just said their last farewells to Olivia the loggerhead turtle as they head home to Guernsey.
After 5 months of care Olivia is now in a pool at the Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre de Tafira.
Earlier this morning Olivia was placed in a large pool at their rescue centre in Gran Canaria and she has already made herself at home.
Olivia will likely only be at the rescue in Las Palmas for a very short period as they feel she is ready for release after the care of the fantastic team at the GSPCA.
Steve Byrne GSPCA Manager said "We have had a roller-coaster ride of emotions with Olivia as when we found her she was so close to death and after months of hard work and care she is now healthy, well and in the wonderful hands of the team at Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre de Tafira who have made us all feel so welcome."
"Geoff and I have had a wonderful journey with Olivia from caring for her around the clock to getting her to Gran Canaria and it was amazing to see her go into one of their wonderful pools so close to the sea."
"Olivia seems very happy in her new pool and the team at Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre de Tafira are confident she will be in the wild very soon."
"When they saw Olivia they were surprised how big she actually was and so we helped make her pool area larger."
"We have spent the morning helping out with their turtles cleaning wounds and feeding them and they do a fabulous job caring for hundreds of turtles every year."
"A huge thank you to everyone involved and that has supported the care and travels of Olivia, it has been an amazing community effort to get this wonderful creature back to where she belongs which very soon will be the wild."
"A special thank you to Pascual and Lisa at the Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre de Tafira and their team who have made Geoff and I so welcome, settled Olivia so nicely and let us learn so much last night and this morning."
"We are full of joy mixed with tears as we leave Olivia but we know she has an amazing team caring for her."
Geoff George GSPCA Animal Collection Officer said "It has been incredible to see Olivia so happy after her long journey and settle so well."
"The injuries of some of turtles here at the Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre de Tafira are horrific and they do tremendous things saving their lives."
"We will really miss Olivia but it is wonderful to know she is in such great hands and will be back in the sea very soon."
Below are the previous updates from the last few days and a few pictures and videos -
More videos coming soon..........
Yesterday Olivia the loggerhead turtle undertook the 2500+ mile journey from Guernsey to Gran Canaria.
The GSPCA are pleased to report that Olivia’s flights went to plan and she landed only 20 minutes late last night, well and safe.
GSPCA Manager Steve Byrne and Geoff George were at the airport to greet Olivia as she arrived at Customs in Gran Canaria with Vet Pascual Calabuig Miranda and staff member Lisa from Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre de Tafira in Las Palmas.
This morning Olivia will be placed in a pool at the turtle rescue centre in Gran Canaria and the GSPCA staff will soon be on route to watch as Olivia’s care ends with the GSPCA and the final steps are taken by the team at the Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre de Tafira.
Steve Byrne GSPCA Manager said “It’s been an emotional few days preparing Olivia the loggerhead turtle and getting her ready for her travels to get her here in Gran Canaria.”
“When she arrived she looked extremely well when she arrived last night.”
“We’ve met local Vet Pascual Calabuig Miranda and Lisa from Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre de Tafira who will be taking over the care for Olivia who joins over 30 other turtles at their rescue.”
“Vet Pascual was very pleased with how well Olivia was when she arrived and Geoff and I are now on route to see her placed in a large pool here in Gran Canaria.”
“I am sure both Geoff and I are going to be very sad leaving Olivia later as we have all spent so many months around the clock caring for her but we are so excited that she will soon be in the wild.”
“A massive thank you to all that have supported her care and helped get her to Gran Canaria it is hugely appreciated and we will of course keep everyone up to date.”
Geoff George GSPCA Animal Collection Officer said “The team at Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre de Tafira have been very kind and we are looking forward seeing Olivia being released into one of their pools this morning.”
“Olivia has come along way from the wintery beach back in March and we are all so pleased that we helped save her life and it will be sad to say goodbye later today.”
“Steve and I are looking forward having a good look around their turtle rescue here in Gran Canaria which is where we brought ‘Murtle’ the Green turtle over 13 years ago.”
Here is the press release and blog about Olivia’s story earlier this week -
This Thursday, 28th July 2016 the GSPCA undertakes one of its biggest moves, the last stage in the rescue and rehabilitation of Olivia.
Olivia, a large loggerhead turtle, is finally traveling south to complete the rehabilitation process prior to release in the warm waters off Gran Canaria.
Olivia, who nearly died back in March was found in cold shock on a wintery beach on the west coast of Guernsey. If the GSPCA had not been alerted and been able to rescue her quickly she would have surely died.
Olivia was emaciated and severely dehydrated and had recently lost a front flipper, probably the result of a propeller injury. She was taken to the Animal Shelter in St Andrews where she has been expertly cared for, and nursed back to health.
Thankfully the team are very experienced with marine animals: they have been involved with caring for and rehabilitated seals (including ‘Bonnie’ the seal pup this year), dolphins and a green turtle (‘Murtle’) over 13 years ago, she was also taken to Gran Canaria.
Olivia’s chances were hugely helped by with local vet, GSPCA President and Senior Veterinary Consultant for the Born Free Foundation John Knight, who has many years experience rescuing and caring for exotic and wild animals.
After being rescued from the 7C Guernsey sea, and a number of weeks in intensive care during which she was treated and slowly warmed, we managed to set up a pool at the Shelter thanks to the generosity of many local businesses.
Within the pool she has grown stronger every day, her appetite quickly returned and she now eats everything that is put in front of her. Olivia enjoys a wonderful diet, favourite being squid from Waitrose who have been very kind in their support.
It has taken a few months to arrange, but we are now ready to go: the legal documents have been stamped and signed off, including the international CITES legislation.
The travel box (custom made to IATA standards) is now complete, and this Thursday her journey begins, we fly her from Guernsey via Gatwick and on to her final destination Gran Canaria.
PetAir Uk have been working very closely with the GSPCA over the last few weeks to find the best route for Olivia. We are pleased to announce that this has been made possible through the generous and kind support of both our wonderful local airline Aurigny and Thomson Airways who are each helping us with her move.
Systems are all go in the preparations for Thursday and Olivia has just had her last full water change thanks to States Works who have been bringing fresh seawater to the Shelter for her.
Once Olivia is at the Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria their experienced team will take over, and once they are satisfied that she has got over her journey and is fit enough she will be released back to the wild.
We are hoping that her story won’t end upon her release on a beach in the Canaries. We are currently in talks with groups that may be able to help with a tracking device for when she is released to the wild.
A huge thank you to everyone that has supported us in the care of Olivia and have contibuted towards her trip south to the warmer waters where she belongs. We look forward updating you with her final steps back to the wild.
Steve Byrne, GSPCA Manager said, “After months of care and the rehabilitation of Olivia, the loggerhead turtle, we are now ready to return her to warmer waters where she belongs.”
“Back in March Olivia would have surely died if she hadn’t been rescued and had the care she received at the GSPCA.”
“She as she was so weak, dehydrated and emaciated: she could not even raise her head.”
“From what was a turtle taking potentially her last breathes, to now seeing her lively and active nature is a joy and we are so excited about transporting her on Thursday to a rescue centre called the Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.”
“Her care has been a testament to the caring and loving nature of the Guernsey community.”
“We have had so many donations of things she has needed: from her pool from Spa de la Mare to the padding for her travel box from Graham Scott & Co.”
“The GSPCA everyone involved and we really do appreciate all of the donations and support: from the sea water delivered at short notice by States Works, to the amazing veterinary services from the Vetcare Centres and Vets4Pets, not to mention all of the media support she has had to help raise the funds and items to care for her.”
“We would also like to especially thank Waitrose for the squid that she enjoys so much.”
“It has been a huge undertaking looking after Olivia and finding the transport costs have without doubt been the biggest challenge, but thankfully with the help from Petair, Aurigny and Thomsons Airways, Olivia will be heading south this Thursday.”
“We have all had some sleepless nights at the GSPCA caring for Olivia and it will be an emotional time over the next few days as we get Olivia to where she truly belongs.”
“We will of course update everyone over the next few days as soon as we can.”
Geoff George, Animal Collection Officer at the GSPCA who was also Olivia’s rescuer and carer, said “It has been a long journey to get Olivia to the point where we can now fly her to Gran Canaria after finding her so close to death on Vazon beach.”
“It has taken so many months.”
“I will be traveling out to help with the transfer of Olivia at the rescue centre in Gran Canaria.”
“It will be wonderful to get her to where she belongs and to pass on how she has been at the GSPCA.”
“We will all miss her, she has been a joy to look after.”
Sarah Ozanne GSPCA Animal Care Assistant said “We are all busy getting ready to transport Olivia on Thursday and I’m caring for her on her first leg from Guernsey to Gatwick.”
“It will be exciting taking her on the Aurigny flight, though it will be with some sadness as we have all fallen in love with her at the GSPCA.”
“To have cared for a loggerhead turtle will be with us all for the rest of our lives and we are all so proud we have helped this endangered and beautiful creature.”
Euan Mahy, Aurigny Media Relations Manager, said “Aurigny was approached by both the GSPCA in Guernsey and PetAir UK to ask if we could carry Olivia and GSPCA staff on our Gatwick service.”
“Naturally we said we’d do our best and after a lot of background work involving our freight and UK managers, we’re delighted to be able to carry this out.”
Malcom Coupar, Aurigny’s Commercial Director says: “We’re a community airline and we try to help as much as we can when we get requests like this.”
“Olivia’s probably one of the most unusual “passengers” we’ve carried recently but all the correct procedures are in place to make sure it happens safely.”
“Everyone at Aurigny wishes Olivia well, and in the nicest sense, let’s hope she doesn’t come back to Guernsey!”
Loggerhead turtle facts
Common Name: Loggerhead - named for its exceptionally large head.
Scientific Name: Caretta caretta
Description: Head is very large with heavy strong jaws. Carapace is bony without ridges and has large, non-overlapping, rough scutes (scales) present with 5 lateral scute. Carapace is heart shaped. Front flippers are short and thick with 2 claws, while the rear flippers can have 2 or 3 claws. Carapace is a reddish-brown with a yellowish-brown plastron. Hatchlings have a dark-brown carapace with flippers pale brown on margins.
Size/Weight/Age: The Loggerhead measures up to 1.1 meters (3.5 ft) long when fully grown, weighing approximately 135 kilograms (300 lb) and have a lifespan of 47-67 years.
Diet: The Loggerhead turtle is omnivorous, but it feeds mainly on bottom dwelling invertebrates: molluscs, crustaceans, horseshoe crabs, clams, mussels, and other marine animals. Its large and powerful jaws serve as a very effective tool in dismantling its prey.
Habitat: Prefers to feed in coastal bays and estuaries, as well as in the shallow water along the continental shelves of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Reproduction: Female Loggerheads, between the age of 17 to 33, will usually mate every 2 to 4 years.
Crawl Pattern: 1) Alternating comma-shaped flipper marks 2) Wavy and smoothed track center with no thin, straight, and well-defined tail-drag mark 3) No regular marking from front flippers at the margins of the track
Nesting: Female loggerheads are known to nest from one to seven times within a nesting season (mean is about 4.1 nests per season) at intervals of approximately 12–17 days. Mean clutch size varies from about 100 to 126 along the southeastern United States coast. Incubation ranges from about 45 to 95 days, depending on incubation temperatures, but averages 55 to 60 days for most clutches.
International Status - Listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN)
Threats to Survival: Fishing gear is the biggest threat to loggerheads in the open ocean. They often become entangled in longlines or gillnets. According to the 2009 status review of loggerheads by the Fisheries Service, drowning from entanglement in longline and gillnet fishing gear is the turtles’ primary threat in the North Pacific. The second greatest threat is loss of nesting habitat due to coastal development, predation of nests, and human disturbances (such as coastal lighting and housing developments) that discourages nesting and interferes with the hatchlings' ability to navigate to the water's edge
We really need your help to get Olivia back to warmer waters.
Olivia is now ready to be flown to the Canary islands and we are currently appealing for funds to help towards the costs of her flight.
With just over £5000 raised so far we are well on the way towards being able to afford the costs of her flight.
To transport a loggerhead turtle from one country to another requires Cites documents which is now in place.
When we first rescued Olivia she was extremely weak, starving, dehydrated and close to death.
Just over four months later and she is now swimming and eating on her own which is difficult to achieve in captivity.
The next big step for Olivia is to get her back to a warmer climate and a rescue centre with experience to finish her rehabilitation.
We have arranged a place for Olivia in the Canary Islands and we need to raise the funds and arrange a plane to help transport her back to where she belongs.
Geoff George Ambulance Driver, Marine Medic and main carer for Olivia at the GSPCA said "Olivia is eating extremely well which is is a massive step in her rehabilitation as they are so difficult to feed in captivity."
"She is strong enough to travel and we are appealing for any donations to help fund her transport, container and care to get her to the Canary Islands."
"She is doing very well at the GSPCA and now we have the paperwork in place we are planning how to get her back where she belongs."
Steve Byrne GSPCA Manager said "Each day we move closer to be able to move Olivia to Gran Canaria and we are currently appealing for any final funds to help move her south."
"A huge thank you to everyone that has donated so far which has helped raise well over £5000 and although we have had quotes between £12500 and £35000 we are hoping to be able to transport her for less than this with final plans happening to fly her to a turtle rescue in the Canaries as we speak."
"Olivia was so weak, dehydrated and thin we were really worried for her when she first arrived, but thanks to the team at the GSPCA especially Geoff George, John Knight and the team at the Vetcare Centres, Les Van Blerk and the team at Vets 4 Pets, Spa De La Mare, Waitrose, Guernsey Reef, States Works, Guernsey Aquarium, Guernsey Builders, Le Friquet Garden Centre and many others she has improved each day and is now ready for a long journey."
"Loggerhead turtles are listed as Endangered and facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources."
"In the wild they face many threats with the greatest threat being a loss of nesting habitat due to coastal development, predation of nests and human disturbances such as coastal lighting and housing developments that cause disorientations during the emergence of hatchlings."
"Other major threats include incidental capture in longline fishing, shrimp trawling and pollution. as well as incidental capture in fisheries is thought to have played a significant role in the recent population declines observed for these wonderful creatures."
"World wide the population of loggerhead turtles is estimated to only be between 40,000 and 50,000 nesting females which is less than the population of Guernsey."
"We are now desperately looking to find a plane that could help and donations towards the travel to help with costs of fuel and landing taxes."
"New Era Vets from Jersey have helped start the fund with a donation of £280 which was left after transporting the loggerhead turtle called Terri they rescued earlier this year and we are hugely grateful to them and to others that have donated towards her care."
"We have had many quotes well over £12,500 up to £35,00 to transport Olivia, but with the help of some friends and Petair we are hoping it will be much less to help get this very special lady home."
"Team members led by Kip Power at the GSPCA are building a travel container for Olivia which again comes as an additional cost to meet IATA transport regulations for turtles and will likely cost around £200 if anyone would like to doante to this."
"We will have to use veterinary products and rehydration substances to help Olivia during transit as well as have a number of the team and a vet to help ensure she travels safely as she is the size of a car bonnet at 3 feet wide by 4 feet long."
"We are all very excited that we will soon have everything in palce to transport Olivia south and if anyone would like to donate to help her and the many other animals in our care there are many ways in which you can do this from phone to online.
"Thank you to everyone that has helped so far it is really appreciated."
To make a donation online please click the giving.gg, the paypal button below, call 01481 257261, by post or at the GSPCA.
If you would liek to help in anyway you can contact GSPCA Manager Steve Byrne 01481 257261 or email [email protected]
Common Name: Loggerhead - named for its exceptionally large head.
Scientific Name: Caretta caretta
Description: Head is very large with heavy strong jaws. Carapace is bony without ridges and has large, non-overlapping, rough scutes (scales) present with 5 lateral scute. Carapace is heart shaped. Front flippers are short and thick with 2 claws, while the rear flippers can have 2 or 3 claws. Carapace is a reddish-brown with a yellowish-brown plastron. Hatchlings have a dark-brown carapace with flippers pale brown on margins.
Size/Weight/Age: The Loggerhead measures up to 1.1 meters (3.5 ft) long when fully grown, weighing approximately 135 kilograms (300 lb) and have a lifespan of 47-67 years.
Diet: The Loggerhead Sea Turtle is omnivorous, feeding mainly on bottom dwelling invertebrates: mollusks, crustaceans, horseshoe crabs, clams, mussels, and other marine animals. Its large and powerful jaw serve as an effective tool in dismantling its prey.
Habitat: Prefer to feed in coastal bays and estuaries, as well as in the shallow water along the continental shelves of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Reproduction: Female Loggerheads, between the age of 17 to 33, will usually mate every 2 to 4 years.
Crawl Pattern: 1) Alternating comma-shaped flipper marks 2) Wavy and smoothed track center with no thin, straight, and well-defined tail-drag mark 3) No regular marking from front flippers at the margins of the track
Nesting: Female Loggerheads are known to nest from one to seven times within a nesting season (mean is about 4.1 nests per season) at intervals of approximately 12–17 days. Mean clutch size varies from about 100 to 126 along the southeastern United States coast. Incubation ranges from about 45 to 95 days, depending on incubation temperatures, but averages 55 to 60 days for most clutches.
International Status - Listed as Endangered (facing high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN)
Threats to Survival: Fishing gear is the biggest threat to loggerheads in the open ocean. They often become entangled in longlines or gillnets. According to the 2009 status review of loggerheads by the Fisheries Service, drowning from entanglement in longline and gillnet fishing gear is the turtles’ primary threat in the North Pacific. The second greatest threat is loss of nesting habitat due to coastal development, predation of nests, and human disturbances (such as coastal lighting and housing developments) that discourages nesting and interferes with the hatchlings' ability to navigate to the water's edge
To see some of the businesses that have helped please check out the links below.
To donate to the turtle or Bonnie the grey seal pup please call 01481 257261, pop along to the Animal Shelter in St Andrews, by post or by clicking the link below.
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There are many ways to support the work of the GSPCA and you can even donate online by clicking the paypal link below.
By post cheques payable to 'GSPCA' - GSPCA, Rue des Truchots, St Andrews, Guernsey, GY6 8UD
Or by phone 01481 257261.
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