Environmental Enrichment Facilities Release and Survival of an Injured Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Careta careta) after Ten years in Captivity

Abstract. In June 2006 a loggerhead sea turtle (Careta careta) was admited to a rescue centre on the Mediterranean coast with severe fshing net entanglement in its fore right flipper. The flipper could not be saved and was amputated at shoulder joint level. The animal remained in captvity for 10 years due to concerns over its survival on release back to the wild. In 2016, an environmental enrichment programme was implemented to encourage the performance of wild-type feeding and locomoton behaviours, with the end plan of release. The enrichment programme lasted for two months. The enrichment devices achieved their goals of encouraging wild-type behaviours and avoidance of manmade items. Afer the enrichment programme had ended, the animal was successfully released back to the wild, its transmitng device showing that it crossed the Strait of Gibraltar four months post release, approached then the island of Madeira and the Azores and started crossing the Atlantc Ocean, where it was stll emitng 10 months post release. This report indicates that the implementaton of an environmental enrichment programme contributed to the successful release of an injured loggerhead turtle back into the wild afer a long period in captvity and that environmental enrichment may
facilitate the release of other turtles housed in captve environments.