Barnacle Bill’s return to warmer waters delayed by paperwork

Tuesday 24 September 2024

A young sea turtle washed up in Guernsey during Storm Ciarán is set to remain in the island for second winter after attempts to relocate her were thwarted by administration issues.

‘Barnacle Bill’ – as the animal has been dubbed – washed up in the north of the island last November.

She was in a sorry state in unfamiliar and unusually cold waters.

Since then, the loggerhead turtle has had problems getting the correct paperwork to leave – meaning she is still stuck in Guernsey almost one year later.

Pictured: Barnacle Bill washed up in Guernsey last November during Storm Ciarán.

When she first arrived, Barnacle Bill was severely underweight at just 700 grams.

But she's since been showered with love at the GSPCA and is now back up to a healthy weight of 3.1kg.

The young turtle was never expected to stay at the animal shelter for this long though.

The problem is, Barnacle Bill is meant to be swimming around and living life in warmer waters…but the paperwork needed to get her back to those climates keeps getting declined.

According to the GSPCA, attempt were initially made to get the turtle sent to Gran Canaria but there were complications. 

Since then, the animal charity has been trying to find her forever home and has tried to relocate her to Turkey, Cape Verde, Morocco, the Azores, and Bermuda.

But it currently it looks like Barnacle Bill will be hunkering down for a second winter at Guernsey's animal shelter, in the less than tropical St Andrews.

Pictured: Barnacle Bill weighed less than a kilo once all the barnacles were removed from her shell.

Steve Byrne from the GSPCA said the turtle's situation proves that the animal charity's work can be a complicated process.

He explained: “To move endangered species like loggerhead turtles we require export and import CITES documents and although we received the Guernsey forms very quickly, we in the first instance have were looking to move her to a rescue in Gran Canaria that we have used previously but due to the UK coming out of the EU the Spanish import forms have been much more complicated as well as other challenges.”

If nothing can be done soon to move the marine reptile to warmer climates, Steve said that the Royal Navy might get involved.

He added: “The UK rescued turtles have had similar issues and they too have had many for more than 12 months, but we were overjoyed to hear recently that nine of the UK turtles are being helped by the Royal Navy to be returned to warmer waters.

“We had hoped we may be able to try and get Bill to join this trip but sadly on this voyage it has not been possible – but it could be a possible option in the future.”

For the approaching colder months, it looks like Barnacle Bill will be kept cosy in Guernsey for a little while longer.