On November 21, 2008, a Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) stranded in The Netherlands province of Zeeland at N51°40’39-E3°42’48. The turtle was alive but in a bad condition and covered with oil. This turtle was brought to Rotterdam Zoo for rehabilitation. This was the fourth time a live Kemp’s ridley was found in the Netherlands. The previous strandings were in 1954, 1970 and 2007 (Brongersma, 1972; Hoogmoed, 2009). The Kemp’s ridley nests only in the Gulf of Mexico and its range is restricted to this sea and the east coast of America and Canada. There are only few known records of Kemp’s ridleys in European waters and the northern part of Africa. Most of these concern juveniles and occur in colder periods, like autumn and winter. This article describes the basic life history and conservation status of this Critically Endangered sea turtle species, and the rescue of the individual that stranded in The Netherlands. The turtle is brought to Portugal after recovery and will most probably be released in the usa.

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RAVON

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RAVON

Edo Goverse, Maartje L. Hilterman, Max Janse, & Henk Zwartepoorte. (2009). Kemps zeeschildpad: een nóg bijzonderder dwaalgast in Nederland. RAVON, 11(3), 38–43.