A giant leatherback turtle has been released back into the sea at Dingle.
First, there was Fungi the dolphin and now there is a giant leatherback turtle.
Dingle is becoming synonymous with maritime creatures.
It took an army and a forklift to rescue the seven foot long turtle weighing seventy stone from Brandon Creek. The turtle had gotten caught up in nets and the buoy ropes of lobster pots. Fitted with a satellite tracking device, the turtle was released back into the sea. She will travel west and eventually end up in Venezuela, where she will lay her eggs. The tracking device will provide information on her exact route.
The turtle's diet on her route to Venezuela will consist exclusively of jellyfish. This is something that baffles scientists who say that jellyfish contain as much energy as a digestive biscuit.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 31 August 2005. The reporter is Brian Finn.
