A loggerhead turtle, rescued adrift in Tralee Bay after it had lost a flipper in a shark attack, is to get a prosthetic 3-D printed replacement to help her get back swimming.
Sally the loggerhead is one lucky turtle! A few months ago she survived a vicious shark attack that left her missing a front flipper and an eye. She drifted a long way from the warmer waters loggerheads are typically found and ended up in Tralee Bay where she was discovered by the Lynch family. They rescued her and handed her over to Oceanworld Aquarium in Dingle where they are helping her get back to swimming form.
Last week Kevin Flannery the director of Oceanworld put out the call looking for someone to create a prosthetic flipper. A Cork-based firm answered the call and Sally is set to get a brand new 3-D printer flipper.
Talking to The Kerryman this week Flannery said “It’s great news for Sally now after all she’s been through with the Stryker company answering our call this week to say they think they can create a polymer/titanium flipper for her pending the outcome of a veterinary assessment.”
Loggerheads like Sally often get turned around and lost while in Irish waters. Last year another loggerhead named Eva was rescued and hitched a ride home to the Mediterranean with the Irish Naval Service.
