A loggerhead turtle that was washed ashore during last winter's storms on the west coast of Clare will be returned to the wild in the coming days.
Leon the turtle, who was in a coma and suffered severe injuries, has undergone ten months of veterinary care in Galway.
Barely recognisable from the turtle that was washed ashore near Quilty last November, Leon has made a full recovery.
Discovered on Seafield strand, Leon was suffering from multiple injuries to her shell, infected eyes, pneumonia and a lung infection.
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group brought her to the Atlanticquaria in Galway, where she has undergone a ten-month rehabilitation process.
Chief Aquarist Pádraig Creedon said that she was in a coma when she arrived and that the only sign of life was tiny movements of her head.
He said that most of the staff did not think Leon would survive because of the extent of her injuries.
With a life span of up to 70 years, Leon is believed be 15 years old.
She will be tagged with a satellite positioning tag before her release and can be followed online.
Loggerhead turtles are rare visitors to the Irish coast and it is believed that Leon was pushed north and off course during last winter’s storms.
They are more native to the tropical oceans further south.
Named after an unlucky 20th Century ship that was wrecked on the west Clare coast, Leon will be placed on a flight to the Canary Islands in the coming days, where she will be released back into the wild.
Unlike her ship’s namesake, she can reflect on a luckier escape from the west Clare coast.
