An endangered green sea turtle, nicknamed Lucy by her carers, is back where she belongs in the waters off Cyprus after a three-month recuperation stint at the island's aquaculture research facility.
Lucy was found on a beach earlier this year suffering apparent exhaustion, but after receiving treatment for dehydration, steroids and a vitamin-packed diet, the 20-year-old turtle was released on Friday off the southern city of Larnaca.
"She is now capable of surviving on her own," said Yianna Samuel, a fisheries and marine research officer at Cyprus's department of fisheries and marine research.
Two species of turtle, the green turtle and the loggerhead, also known as Caretta caretta, breed on the beaches of Cyprus. Green turtles are considered endangered, while loggerheads are classed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
