Return Carrie the 14-Year-Old Loggerhead Turtle to the Wild!
The Issue
THE PROBLEM
Carrie, a 14-year-old endangered loggerhead sea turtle, has spent her entire life inside an indoor tank at the Bournemouth Oceanarium. She is now reaching full physical and reproductive maturity. Keeping a highly migratory, apex predator confined to a commercial exhibit for the rest of her life is no longer acceptable. She belongs in the ocean, not on display for profit.
THE SCIENCE
For years, the public was told that captive turtles cannot survive in the wild. Modern marine science has officially proven this wrong.
Innate Instincts: Peer-reviewed studies in Marine Biology Research prove that long-term captive turtles still possess their natural navigation and hunting skills.
100% Recovery: Research shows rehabilitated turtles quickly achieve full behavioural parity with wild populations.
The Ultimate Proof: A loggerhead named "Jorge" was successfully released into the Atlantic Ocean after over 41 years in a tank, immediately migrating thousands of miles to wild feeding grounds.If Jorge can do it after four decades, Carrie can absolutely do it after 14 years.
THE SOLUTION
We are not asking for Carrie to be thrown directly into the sea. We are demanding a managed, scientific transition. World-class Mediterranean sanctuaries—like ARCHELON in Greece and the CRAM Foundation in Spain—have open-ocean sea pens and established "soft-release" protocols specifically designed to transition turtles like Carrie back to freedom. The international transit frameworks and funding partnerships already exist.
WHAT WE ARE DEMANDING
We urge the leadership at Bournemouth Oceanarium to:
Commit to an immediate, independent feasibility study alongside international sea turtle experts. Partner with a certified Mediterranean rescue sanctuary to coordinate Carrie’s rehabilitation.
Transition Carrie from a commercial exhibit into a historic global conservation success story.
Carrie has decades of vital reproductive life ahead of her. She needs to be in the global breeding pool helping her endangered species survive.
Sign this petition to demand freedom for Carrie!
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The Issue
THE PROBLEM
Carrie, a 14-year-old endangered loggerhead sea turtle, has spent her entire life inside an indoor tank at the Bournemouth Oceanarium. She is now reaching full physical and reproductive maturity. Keeping a highly migratory, apex predator confined to a commercial exhibit for the rest of her life is no longer acceptable. She belongs in the ocean, not on display for profit.
THE SCIENCE
For years, the public was told that captive turtles cannot survive in the wild. Modern marine science has officially proven this wrong.
Innate Instincts: Peer-reviewed studies in Marine Biology Research prove that long-term captive turtles still possess their natural navigation and hunting skills.
100% Recovery: Research shows rehabilitated turtles quickly achieve full behavioural parity with wild populations.
The Ultimate Proof: A loggerhead named "Jorge" was successfully released into the Atlantic Ocean after over 41 years in a tank, immediately migrating thousands of miles to wild feeding grounds.If Jorge can do it after four decades, Carrie can absolutely do it after 14 years.
THE SOLUTION
We are not asking for Carrie to be thrown directly into the sea. We are demanding a managed, scientific transition. World-class Mediterranean sanctuaries—like ARCHELON in Greece and the CRAM Foundation in Spain—have open-ocean sea pens and established "soft-release" protocols specifically designed to transition turtles like Carrie back to freedom. The international transit frameworks and funding partnerships already exist.
WHAT WE ARE DEMANDING
We urge the leadership at Bournemouth Oceanarium to:
Commit to an immediate, independent feasibility study alongside international sea turtle experts. Partner with a certified Mediterranean rescue sanctuary to coordinate Carrie’s rehabilitation.
Transition Carrie from a commercial exhibit into a historic global conservation success story.
Carrie has decades of vital reproductive life ahead of her. She needs to be in the global breeding pool helping her endangered species survive.
Sign this petition to demand freedom for Carrie!
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Petition created on 14 July 2026