A Turtle Named Freedom Swims Again

July 2, 2014

Photo credit: Israel21c A 20-year-old handicapped sea turtle called Hofesh—the Hebrew word for freedom—has been given a new lease on life in the Promised Land.

The rare green turtle, about the size of a laundry basket, washed ashore four years ago along the Israeli Mediterranean seashore. With two severely damaged flippers on his left side, he was taken to the Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Michmoret.

Hofesh’s damaged flippers were amputated to save his life, but when he tried to swim he would flail and sink, gasping for breath. He was even resuscitated once. Caretakers were stymied. Sea turtles can live for up to 80 years. But this one was at risk of drowning at any moment.

When he gets stressed, panicking for some reason, he gets into a spin as he can only use one side to paddle. His head tilts down to one side and he starts taking in water,” Yaniv Levy, the center’s director, told NBC News in a video about the turtle.

Israeli industrial design student Shlomi Gez had an idea to keep Hofesh afloat: an artificial flipper to help Hofesh stay balanced when swimming. Gez says he designed the stabilizing device based on the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor jet. And to the delight of caretakers, Hofesh is now able to swim. He may be a bit jerky and still flails a little, but as he gets used to the new fin, he starts to lead a more normal turtle life. (Read More)

Source: By Karen Kloosterman, ISRAEL21c, excerpts of article reprinted with permission.