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Turtle sticks to British waters

A turtle has amazed scientists by swimming its way through a 550-mile Caribbean journey - sticking to only British territories.

Suzie the adult green turtle skipped non-British nations on her month-long trip, reports The Times. Her progress was followed by researchers who placed a satellite tracking device on her shell.

Peter Richardson, of the Marine Conservation Society, said: “We thought she might head to neighbouring countries. We certainly wouldn’t have predicted that she would go from one British Overseas Territory to another.”

From Turks and Caicos, Suzie headed east, directly to the waters of the British Virgin Islands, steering well clear of the palm-fringed shores of Haiti and the Dominican Republic to the south.

After staying there for a week, the turtle took a more circuitous 75-mile trip to Anguilla, whose government has imposed a 15-year ban on all turtle-fishing to let populations recover.

Mr Richardson added. “The first part of her journey was against the current, so she wasn’t being carried. We’re not quite sure what she’s up to.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .