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Posted: 21st February 2013

Turtle fitted with artificial limbs
Image: Yu
Swimming aids for disabled shark-attack turtle

A turtle that was attacked by a shark and rescued by an aquarium in western Japan has been fitted with prosthetic flippers.

The 25-year-old loggerhead turtle, named Yu, is believed to have been victim to shark attack after she was found with most of her left and right flippers missing in 2008.

She was pulled from the fisherman's net and sent to the Suma Aqualife Park where she swimmed 40 per cent slower than expected.

Artificial limbs were developed for the 96-kilo (212 pounds) turtle to aid her in swimming, however, all 26 pairs of rubber limbs have seemed to cause her discomfort.

Instead, a new set of flippers have been developed and attached to a specially-designed vest, that fits around her 82-centimetre (32 inches) shell.

Loggerhead turtles are known to live for 50 years and swim at up to 15 miles per hour, according to National Geographic, who lists the species as endangered.

Naoki Kamezaki, aquarium curator and sea turtle-expert, whose name coincidently means "turtle cape" in Japanese, said: "We have worked hard to design a vest in a way that prevents the turtle from taking it off unwittingly.

"Ours may be the only case in which a turtle with artificial limbs is still swimming without a problem."



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