New flippers put Yu-chan back in the swim of things

By Tadashi Okubo and Takumi Harada/ Yomiuri Shimbun Photographers

Life on the ocean wave turned dark for Yu-chan the turtle when a shark attack ripped off parts of her front flippers.

But with the aid of nonprofit organization, a prosthetic limb maker, veterinarians and others, Yu-chan is back in the swim of things.

The female turtle, which was caught in a fishing net in the Kii Channel in June last year, has been fitted with artificial limbs and is now trying them out in a seawater pond at Kobe Airport Island in Chuo Ward, Kobe.

The Sea Turtle Association of Japan, an Osaka-based nonprofit organization, began the project in spring this year.

When the first set of artificial flippers were attached, they dropped off after just a few minutes, forcing the team to adjust the weight and make them stronger.

Yu-chan has just received her fifth set of flippers, which were completed in September, though the team continues to experiment.

Although the turtle seems to be getting used to the artificial limbs, it will be some time before she can be returned to the ocean.

Yu-chan is thought to be about 20 years old and is expected to live for another 40 to 50 years, so the flippers need to last for several decades.

At a meeting of the team in October, it was reported that Yu-chan had not been able to swim as fast as the team members had hoped because she had had to adapt to the heavy artificial fins because her muscles atrophied to some extent.

The team is collecting and analyzing data on the turtle's artificial flippers and still has a lot of work to do.

Naoki Kamezaki, 53, head of the NPO, said: “Now she's doing something akin to weight training in the sea. We are considering what's necessary for Yu-chan to live without problems at sea, and accomplish the tasks one by one. As a first step, we want to improve her swimming ability.�E/p>

In early December, the turtle was moved to Hiwasa Chelonian Museum Caretta, a museum devoted to sea turtles in Minamicho, Tokushima Prefecture, because the temperature of the seawater drops in Kobe in winter.

Yu-chan also spent winter last year in the town and received rehabilitation there to improve her muscle power and protect the damaged parts of her body.

Haruka Takahara, 11, and Yu Okamoto, 10, students of Akamatsu Primary School in the town, chose Yu-chan as the theme of their school's free study class and will monitor how the turtle recovers.

They said they hoped Yu-chan would be able to swim energetically and return to the town someday to lay eggs.

Though the going will be tough and long, Yu-chan and her supporters are rising to the challenge to meet the students'dreams.