An endangered sea turtle has gone viral on social media this week, by learning to swim again after losing two of its flippers.
According to The Daily Mail, the animal in question is an olive ridley turtle named Lou, who lost his front left flipper and back right flipper when he got them caught in a fishing net, which led to both of his limbs being amputated by a vet.
Take a look at this heartwarming video of a turtle being given new prosthetic legs:He was subsequently rescued and cared for by volunteers from the non-profit organization Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, which is based on Fitzroy island off the coast of Queensland, Australia.
After five years of intensive rehabilitation, Lou was able to learn how to his tail as a rudder, and last week he was released back into the ocean and given a chance to swim free again.
In a post made on Facebook on October 27, a spokesperson for the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre shared pictures of Lou being taken out to sea in a boat, and captioned them:
"Lou has left the building, and had begun his long journey back home to his waters up the Cape. Flying out tomorrow yay ! see ya later Fitzroy! [sic]"
The next day, they also shared pictures of Lou being released back into his natural habitat, captioned the post:
"Lou after a long journey by plane and 4 wheel drive was released on the Cape this morning. It was a wonderful release and huge thanks to everyone who has made this possible. You’ve got this Lou!"
Commenting on Lou's recovery in a recent interview with The Carins Post, Carins Turtle Rehabilitation Centre co-founder Jennie Gilbert stated:
"It took him a while but once he got going, he was moving at great speed. It’s a great show of determination and resilience.
"The cute thing was there was a smaller turtle who took a peek at Lou. It was almost like the small one saying, ‘welcome back to country.'"
On Facebook, a number of social media users commented on Lou's recovery. For instance, one person wrote: "Wonderful. Looks like he couldn’t get out quick enough. So much bigger then his 'healing' tank. Take a bow for your wonderful work in getting Lou back to his home. [sic]"
Meanwhile, someone else added: "Don't be nervous Lou. Go and explore. Onie will be looking after you. Bon voyage and happy travels old mate! [sic]"
Per a report by Intercontinental News, Lou has since managed to swim more than 60km on his own, and is clearly doing all right on his own.
