Unable to go home: Meet the migrant who can't leave due to paperwork

Monday 23 September 2024

Last November, Barnacle Bill was in a sorry state. Washed ashore, in unfamiliar and unusually cold waters.

Since then the Loggerhead Turtle has had problems getting the correct paperwork to leave, meaning she is still stuck in Guernsey.

When she first arrived, Barnacle Bill was severely underweight, weighing just 700 grams.

During the time since she’s been showered with love at the GSPCA, getting microchipped, and is now back up to a healthy weight of 3.1kg.

She was never expected to stay with the GSPCA for this long though.

Pictured; Barnacle Bill when she first arrived, underweight and off-course.

The problem is, she’s meant to be swimming around and living life in warmer waters…but the paperwork needed to get her back to those climes keeps getting declined.

According to the GSPCA, they had initially attempted to get her sent to Gran Canaria, but there were complications.

Since then the animal charity has been trying to find her forever home, and the perfect place on Earth for her.

They’ve tried to relocate her to Turkey, Cape Verde, Morocco, the Azores, and Bermuda, but currently it looks like Bill will be hunkering down for a second winter at Guernsey's animal shelter, in the less than tropical St Andrews.

Steve Byrne from the GSPCA said Bill's situation proves that their work can be a complicated process.

“To move endangered species like loggerhead turtles we require export and import CITES documents and although we received the Guernsey forms very quickly, we in the first instance have were looking to move her to a rescue in Gran Canaria that we have used previously but due to the UK coming out of the EU the Spanish import forms have been much more complicated as well as other challenges.”

If nothing can be done soon to move the marine reptile to warmer climates, Steve says the Royal Navy might get involved.

“The UK rescued turtles have had similar issues and they too have had many for more than 12 months but we were overjoyed to hear recently that nine of them are being helped by the Royal Navy to be returned to warmer waters.

“We had hoped we may be able to try and get Bill to join this trip but sadly on this voyage it has not been possible but it could be a possible option in the future.”

For the approaching colder months, it looks like Barnacle Bill will be kept cosy in Guernsey for a little while longer. 

For more on Barnacle Bill and the amazing work done by the GSCPA, you can check out their website.