Turtle successfully returns home

He was the first passenger to arrive at the TAP A330 aircraft Infante D. Henrique after a wait of more than two years. The young turtle had been living in Portugal since 2009 under the care of Zoomarine. To get there he had crossed the Atlantic Ocean and the frozen waters of the North Sea until he reached Holland where was rescued. This Tuesday, 29 November, he finally arrived at his destination in Miami Florida.

To return this specimen of Kemp turtle to the Gulf of Mexico, its almost sole habitat, was a vital necessity to preserve this species as 95% of the species are born on one beach in one sole region, making them the rarest and therefore the most threatened sea turtle in the world.

The journey was planned to the very last detail and was only made possible due to the work of the TAP Cargo and Maintenance and Engineering teams who adapted the A330 cabin to receive this rarest of passengers.

"It was a task carried out by Maintenance and Engineering. It consisted of removing the last line of seats at the rear of the aircraft and finding a system to secure the cage in which the turtle was travelling. The cage was attached to the ground by a combination of straps and these ensured that the movements of the aircraft had no impact at all on the cage" explained José Anjos, TAP's Director of Cargo and Mail, a business sector in which the company has already amassed a vast experience in the transportation of live animals within the context of species protection.

These specific alterations within the structure of the cabin involved a specific certification of the aircraft so as to ensure the total safety of "Johnny Vasco", as he was affectionately called.

With a journey worthy of an adventure story, Johnny’s return could not have been less emotional. On board the special guest was introduced to the passengers by the TAP crew. “Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. On board this TAP flight we have a passenger called Johnny Vasco. Johnny is a Kemp turtle which is one of the rarest and most threatened turtle species in the world. Today on board TAP Johnny is not going swimming but simply flying home", announced José Moura, Flight Cabin Supervisor. It was not long before passenger's curiosity to meet Johnny in person got the better of them.

Over the approximately nine hour flight, all difficulties were overcome and all the necessary conditions guaranteed for the well-being of this passenger weighing 31 kg and measuring 1.20 metres in length. In addition to a representative from TAP Cargo and the technical staff from the Zoomarine rehabilitation centre, Johnny could rely on the total support of the crew.

On arrival in Miami, Johnny Vasco was handed over by the Zoomarine technical staff to the North American authorities. After a short rest at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center at Juno Beach, Johnny was transported to the Mote Marine laboratory in Sarasota, where he will remain in quarantine until being returned to the sea along the South-Western coast of Florida, a zone identified as the natural habitat of Kemp turtles, probably between Christmas and New Year.

TAP is proud that it was responsible for the return home of Johnny Vasco and this was an important contribution to the preservation of species under threat of extinction.