Floaters and Sinkers?

It is interesting to note that 5 severely damaged Florida turtles have been transported to Weymouth Sealife Park in Dorset to live out their days on display (http://www.zandavisitor.com/newsarticle-2881-Weymouth_Sea_Life_Park_Aquarium_Acquires_5_Disabled_Sea_Turtles). This may have stemmed from a recent move of a displaced turtle in the opposite direction (flown from Weymouth to Florida). The 5 turtles had reportedly been damaged by collisions with powerboats in Florida, often leading to a fracturing of their shells or even paraplegia. A number were unable to dive to obtain their food because of buoyancy problems and have been assisted in this action by the application of weights to their shells. The claimed reason for this exercise is that the turtles had outgrown their Florida tanks and would get a better quality of life in the specialist turtle attraction in Weymouth. The displayed turtles might well encourage UK visitors to financially support conservation of such reptiles in the wild. One has to balance this against the facts that the Florida turtles were transported by air and road to Weymouth, they are a foreign species, damage makes them unlikely to breed, they are unlikely to fully replicate the behaviour of undamaged animals (perhaps giving visitors an erroneous impression of the species) and that, by remaining in Florida, they might have encouraged responsible operation of powerboats. They will at least get to eat broccoli in Dorset!