A FUNDRAISER has been set up to help get the world's rarest sea turtle home after it washed up alive on Talacre beach.

On November 28, little ‘Tally' was rescued after being found on the local beach in a state of cold shock and almost dead.

Initially reported as a Leatherback turtle, Tally's rescuers quickly realised that Tally was in fact a very rare Kemps Ridley Turtle - the most endangered sea turtle species in the world.

North Wales Chronicle:

Tally was taken in by Anglesey Sea Zoo - which has been providing it with round-the-clock care to save its life.

Kemps Ridleys are typically found in much warmer waters around the Gulf of Mexico where the only known breeding sites for the species currently exist.

Twenty years ago there were fewer than 200 breeding females left in the world so the species is classified as critically endangered - making every Kemps Ridley turtle extremely precious.

Thanks to dedicated conservation efforts, there are now believed to be between 7000-9000 breeding females alive today.

The team at Anglesey Sea Zoo have been slowly increasing Tally's ambient temperature to bring it out of a 'cold stunned' state.

Progress was initially slow with only small voluntary movements shown by Tally but with the amazing work of the team alongside vet Celyn Thorpe at Bennett Williams Veterinary Practice in Gaerwen on Anglesey, Tally is now awake and alert and making fantastic progress.

With Tally now emerging from intensive care, the aquarium is starting to think about its longer term care and rehabilitation.

North Wales Chronicle:

To ensure that Tally is kept warm and fed and prepared for release over the next few weeks and months, it involves a specially-adapted tank and equipment, specific nutrition, and will require a flight and a specially adapted transport container.

When Tally has been rehabilitated here and is strong and healthy enough to travel, it is hoped it will flown back to the Gulf of Mexico to be released straight back into the wild there.

With this in mind, Anglesey Sea Zoo is asking for your help with the costs of Tally's care, rehabilitation and transport costs to be returned to the wild.

It has set up a GoFundMe page to help with such, which can be donated to via https://bit.ly/3pGJabp