Once again a fat-headed turtle has been found on the beach of Texel. Yesterday there was already one at beach pavilion Paal 28, today another copy was found at the Slufter Zuid beach area. This is the seventh turtle found on the Dutch coast, and that is very unique.
It is not known, according to Ecomare, why so many animals wash up. The animal, which is currently being cared for at Ecomare, will go to Diergaarde Blijdorp in Rotterdam tomorrow. “They have the permits, expertise and proper facilities for the care of sea turtles,” Ecomare writes in a message.
Unique
Mark de Boer, animal caretaker at Blijdorp Zoo, explained earlier although it is unique that so many animals wash up in a short time. “In 300 years, twelve turtles washed up in our country and suddenly six in the past year.” For now, Blijdorp can handle it, because there is room for 30 animals: “In the future we may have to collaborate more with other parks.”
The North Sea is not a nice place for the creatures, it is much too cold here. Blijdorp hopes to release the strengthened animals in the summer. This probably happens around the Azores, a group of islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.