“TONNI”, the tiny Loggerhead turtle who was brought to Anglesey Sea Zoo in a state of “torpor” due to cold-stranding, is starting to show promising signs of activity and recuperation.

The zoo’s team said Tonni is now progressing out of the initial critical stage of recovery.

Tonni was found stranded on Moel-Y-Don beach on the Menai Strait on January 5, about a mile from the zoo where Menai the Turtle stranded in 2016, by two dogs Winnie and Kerry who were being walked on the beach by their owner, and who helped to protect it from seagulls until it was rescued.

Their owner realised that the tiny turtle was still alive and immediately contacted the zoo, where it was transferred directly for specialist intensive care.

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Cold stranded turtles often die during the process of being revived and the first 48 hours of recovery are absolutely critical.

So, staff have been focussing on getting the best possible care for the little turtle since it was initially brought in comatose, dehydrated and malnourished. 

Fortunately, Tonni’s initial recovery has gone well and the future for the little turtle now looks promising.

Initial examinations of Tonni upon arrival showed few issues for concern, other than it being extremely small at just 25cm long and 1kg in weight, with little apparent physical damage or deterioration.

Indeed, Tonni is much too small to be able to determine its sex, hence the choice of a gender-neutral name, derived from “Ton”, the Welsh word for “Wave”.

Frankie Hobro, director and owner of Anglesey Sea Zoo, said: “We are delighted with Tonni’s progress over the last 12 hours.

“Following initial veterinary treatment with a boost of vitamins and fluids, after an initial 48 hours of intensive care and monitoring, little Tonni is starting to show very promising signs of sporadic activity and rest, and we are now progressing out of the initial intensive care stage of treatment and onto intermediate care.

“We are all very proud of this feisty little turtle and although it is still early days, we are now hopeful for a positive outcome.

“We are extremely grateful to the person who found Tonni and there is no doubt that without their speedy response in reporting it, this little turtle would not be alive.

“Our staff are working hard to rehabilitate little Tonni, as we did successfully with turtles Menai and with Tally, and we hope that it will survive and recover quickly so that it can be flown back and released in warmer waters further south.

Tonni is a Loggerhead turtle which are endangered and protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) regulations, but one of the more common sea turtle species globally.

Loggerhead turtles become extremely sluggish below 15°C and once the temperature drops to 10°C or below, particularly if it is a sudden temperature drop such as a storm suddenly stirring up colder currents, they become comatose, a condition known as “cold shock”.

A turtle in cold shock may appear dead upon initial inspection but if it is rescued quickly enough it may still be possible for it to be revived and make a complete recovery if it receives the correct specialist treatment.