For one endangered sea turtle, the journey home has involved years of rehabilitation, a helicopter flight and a trip across the Atlantic Ocean.
Rhossi, a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, recently completed a roughly 5,000-mile journey from Wales to Texas after being found thousands of miles from the warm waters where his species normally lives.
Now at the Houston Zoo, Rhossi is undergoing additional veterinary care before experts decide whether he is healthy enough to return to the Gulf of Mexico.
His arrival marked a major milestone in a rescue story that began back in December 2023.
That winter, a local dog discovered a tiny, injured turtle on a beach in Wales.
Rhossi weighed only about 2 pounds and was suffering from cold-stunning, a dangerous condition that can occur when sea turtles are exposed to water temperatures their bodies cannot tolerate.
He was taken to Anglesey Sea Zoo, where caregivers began the long process of helping him recover.
Over the following years, Rhossi grew dramatically stronger and eventually reached about 46 pounds.
Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are native primarily to the Gulf of Mexico and are among the world’s most endangered sea turtle species. Occasionally, however, young turtles can become caught in powerful ocean currents that carry them far across the Atlantic.
That appears to be how Rhossi ended up thousands of miles from home.
After years of rehabilitation in Wales, plans were finally made to bring him back across the ocean.
His complicated journey involved numerous organizations and individuals, including U.S. Fish & Wildlife, NOAA, Anglesey Sea Zoo, the Texas State Aquarium and Welsh helicopter pilot Darren Briggs.
Rhossi eventually arrived in Texas on August 10.
But his return to the Gulf will have to wait a little longer.
After arriving at Houston Zoo, he underwent an extensive medical examination. Veterinarians checked his eyes, mouth, shell, flippers and internal organs and performed X-rays and a CT scan.
Renowned senior veterinarian Dr. Joe Flanagan even briefly came out of retirement to help examine him.
The tests revealed lingering pneumonia in Rhossi’s lungs.
Fortunately, the turtle otherwise appears active and in good overall condition.
According to an update from the Houston Zoo, veterinarians will continue treating him until they believe he has the best possible chance of surviving after his return to the wild.
That means Rhossi’s long journey isn’t quite finished.
For now, he will remain under expert care while his lungs recover and his veterinary team monitors his progress.
Once he is healthy enough, rescuers hope to complete the final chapter of his extraordinary trip by returning him to the warm Gulf waters his species calls home.
After surviving cold Atlantic waters, years of rehabilitation and a journey spanning two continents, Rhossi is now closer than ever to getting back where he belongs.