Iona the Turtle's epic journey to Scotland and back – Scotsman comment

Found close to death on the island of Iona, a loggerhead turtle is now back in the warmers of the Azores

Captain Cook, Magellan, Gulliver… tales of derring-do and exploration have long been a source of fascination. And to that list we can now add Iona the Turtle after she successfully completed – with a bit of help – the return leg of a truly epic journey.

After apparently travelling about 1,000 miles from her usual habitat in warmer climes, Iona was found malnourished, dehydrated and close to death on the island after which she was named in January 2022. However, the smallest loggerhead turtle ever recorded in the UK proved to be made of stern stuff and managed to recover with help from the Sea Life centres at Loch Lomond and Scarborough.

After increasing her body weight by a factor of ten, she has now been released back into the decidedly balmier waters off the Azores. If that doesn’t sound like the beginnings of a script for the people who brought us Finding Nemo, we don't know what does. And there could be a sequel, with a satellite tag fitted to find out where Iona goes next on her travels.