A loggerhead sea turtle found freezing in a British Columbia bay was released off the San Diego coast this week, after eight months of rehabilitation and an international handoff involving four organizations and three government agencies.
Her name is Moira. She was pulled out of Pedder Bay, British Columbia, on February 4, 2024, with a core body temperature of 8 degrees Celsius, or 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Loggerheads belong in tropical and subtropical water. Moira was the second loggerhead ever reported in British Columbia.
Cold-stunned, a long way north
Local marine biologist Dr. Anna Hall reached her first. The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society stabilized her, which required permission from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and is the only facility in Western Canada equipped for the job.
Cold-stunning is what happens when a reptile’s body temperature drops below the point where it can function. The animal stops swimming, stops digesting and floats. Rewarming has to be slow enough not to shock the organs, and the animal usually needs months afterward to rebuild condition.
Moira is estimated to be 15 to 20 years old.
Getting her south
Rehabilitating her in Canada was possible; releasing her there was not. So the turtle was flown to San Diego by Turtles Fly Too, a nonprofit that runs volunteer medevac flights for marine wildlife, and handed to SeaWorld San Diego Rescue for the final assessment.
“This case stands out for its multi-agency approach, with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and international customs all playing crucial roles in ensuring her safe transfer,” said Jeni Smith, curator of rescue at SeaWorld San Diego.
At SeaWorld she moved into larger, deeper pools. Her diving and a clean blood panel were what cleared her for release.
“This has been a remarkable story for Moira,” said Dr. Martin Haulena, executive director of the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society. “I am very proud of the vital role that VAMMR and Vancouver Aquarium staff have played in getting her ready to be released by SeaWorld and Turtles Fly Too.”
Why this much effort for one turtle
North Pacific loggerheads are endangered, and the population is small enough that individual animals carry weight, females most of all.
“Our efforts to rescue even one sea turtle like Moira underscores the essential role of TF2’s medevac flights in protecting endangered marine wildlife,” said Leslie Weinstein, president of Turtles Fly Too. “When organizations unite in conservation we’re not just saving an individual, we’re committing to biodiversity and contributing to the survival of a species.”
Florida sees the same effort from the other end of the range, where Loggerhead Marinelife Center documented the first olive ridley nest ever recorded in the state in May 2026.
Moira went back into the Pacific carrying a satellite tracker, so the people who spent eight months on her can see where she goes.
