An endangered sea turtle was rescued and returned to the Gulf of Mexico after a 5,000-mile journey

An endangered sea turtle was rescued and returned to the Gulf of Mexico on Monday, November 4, after making a 5,000-mile journey to the Netherlands.

Footage released by the Houston Zoo shows staff members examining Boeier, a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, at the zoo before releasing her back into the waters off Galveston, Texas. According to the National Park Service, Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, the smallest and most critically endangered sea turtle species, are native to the gulf and the North American Atlantic seaboard.

After the small turtle was found tangled in the net of a commercial fishing boat off the southwest coast of the Netherlands in 2023, she was taken to the Rotterdam Zoo and nursed back to health. The US Fish and Wildlife Service spent a year obtaining the proper documentation to bring Boeier back to the US, including a permit that ensured her safe return home as a cargo passenger on a commercial KLM flight from Amsterdam to Houston.

Boeier – named after the boat that found her – arrived at the Houston Zoo on October 29. Houston Zoo staff quickly acclimated her and conducted a full medical examination, deeming her healthy and ready to go home.

Boeier was released back into the Gulf of Mexico from Stewart Beach on Monday, November 4, with a tracking device attached to monitor her movements after release.

“Boeier’s journey is a testament to the power of collaboration and compassion in wildlife conservation, and its return to the Gulf of Mexico marks a significant milestone for the preservation of these magnificent creatures,” said the Houston Zoo.