NATIONAL POST (Toronto, Ontario) 11 January 05 Marine biologists return a rare giant turtle to sea after it was swept one kilometre inland
Pausing to gather its strength after every few shuffles forward, a giant green turtle inches back down the beach toward the sea, 15 days after the tsunami swept it ashore. When it reaches the water, it stops for a moment, then slips into the turquoise Andaman Sea. The rare male turtle, weighing 150 kilograms and believed to be 30 years old, is lucky to have survived. Marine biologists fear the endangered creatures might have been pushed one step closer to extinction by the killer waves. "It's too early to tell the full impact, but this is certainly not going to help," said Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong of the Phuket marine biological centre. The turtle was discovered one kilometre inland by soldiers seeking tsunami survivors.