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Lost sea turtle 4,000 miles from home thought to have been caught up in Gulf Stream
Image source, Ashley James
There's getting lost, and then there's ending up 4,000 miles away from home.
That's what happened to Tally, one of the rarest sea turtles in the world.
She was found stranded in Wales, far away from her home in Texas in the United States.
People from all over the world are working together to take her back, where it's hoped she will soon be released into the wild.
Image source, RAF Valley
Tally is a Kemp's ridley turtle, one of the smallest sea turtles that is normally found swimming in the Gulf of Mexico and off eastern North America.
In that part of the ocean there's a current called the Gulf Stream that can sweep animals away from their natural habitat.
Image source, NEIL WYN-JONES
That's what scientists believe happened to Tally, who ended up on Talacre beach in Flintshire after Storm Arwen in 2021.
The Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Wales is much colder than Tally's home seas and when she was found in North Wales, she was extremely poorly.
She was spotted by a dog walker who reported the sighting to the British Divers' Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR).
She was quickly taken to Anglesey Sea Zoo, where she was nursed back to health.
Image source, Ashley James
Mary Kay Skoruppa, a US fish and wildlife co-ordinator for Texas, said: "Thanks to the quick response of a great group of international partners and volunteers, Tally is alive and ready to come home."
She'll be flying to Texas where she'll be released from Galveston into the Gulf of Mexico in September.
How do you fly a turtle overseas?
It's not a simple thing to move turtles between continents.
There's an agreement between countries called the convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and it aims to make sure the movement and trade of animals and plants between different countries doesn't harm them.
When she gets to the US, Tally will be transferred to Houston Zoo, where vets will check her again to make sure she is healthy enough to be released into the wild.
Image source, Anglesey Sea Zoo
If they agree she is, researchers will attach a tracking device to monitor her movements once she is released.
An international team of partners plan to meet in Galveston to celebrate Tally's release.
"An endangered species is one that is at risk of extinction in the near future, so every individual counts," Ms Skoruppa said.
"We hope that Tally will grow to maturity and return to nest on a Texas beach in a few years to help ensure her species' survival into the future."