Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Rhossi, a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, was found 5,000 miles from home when he was young. Now, the Houston Zoo is preparing him to be returned to his native habitat.
The zoo says the highly endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is native to the Gulf of Mexico, but they can occasionally be swept into powerful ocean currents and carried thousands of miles across the Atlantic. That's likely how Rhossi ended up in Wales in 2023, where he was nursed back to health after being cold-stunned by December waters.
Rhossi's rehabilitation has been facilitated by U.S. Fish & Wildlife, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Anglesey Sea Zoo, Houston Zoo, Texas State Aquarium and Welsh helicopter pilot Darren Briggs. The team hopes to release him back into the Gulf of Mexico once he's fully recovered.
🎥: Barbara Alicea-Aponte/Houston Zoo
Rhossi, a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, was found 5,000 miles from home when he was young. Now, the Houston Zoo is preparing him to be returned to his native habitat.
The zoo says the highly endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is native to the Gulf of Mexico, but they can occasionally be swept into powerful ocean currents and carried thousands of miles across the Atlantic. That's likely how Rhossi ended up in Wales in 2023, where he was nursed back to health after being cold-stunned by December waters.
Rhossi's rehabilitation has been facilitated by U.S. Fish & Wildlife, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Anglesey Sea Zoo, Houston Zoo, Texas State Aquarium and Welsh helicopter pilot Darren Briggs. The team hopes to release him back into the Gulf of Mexico once he's fully recovered.
🎥: Barbara Alicea-Aponte/Houston Zoo
