Loggerhead turtles Betty and Olive, rehabilitated at Hunstanton Sea Life Centre after being found cold-stunned, are due to leave on Monday for the Azores. They will be monitored there for up to two weeks before release into the sea.
Betty was found on Dunwich beach in Suffolk in February; a passer-by initially mistook her for debris and called British Divers Marine Life Rescue. Olive has been in care at the centre since December. Betty needed specialist care, including a gradual increase in her body temperature. Both turtles underwent tests, including X-rays and CT scans checking for pneumonia.
Katie Robertson, a display supervisor at the centre, said warmer summer seas, with temperatures in the low 20s, are taking turtles farther north than usual. Sharp temperature drops compared with the Mediterranean can leave them cold-stunned, a condition that can cause lethargy and reduced circulation and can be fatal.
