Rhossi was found barely alive on Anglesey in December 2023 and was nursed back to health at Anglesey Sea Zoo before travelling in a temperature-controlled crate to Texas for final health checks and eventual release into the wild.

Rhossi is expected to be released near Padre Island National Seashore, where conservationists believe the turtle originally hatched before drifting across the Atlantic. Kemp’s ridleys are the world’s rarest sea turtle species and remain critically endangered. Zoo staff said returning Rhossi to the wild had been their goal since the animal was first rescued.