THIS is the moment a pair of the world’s oldest turtles were reunited after months apart.
Sea turtles Lulu and Gulliver returned to their home at Sea Life Brighton on Friday.
The couple, who are 80 years old and have spent 20 of those together in the city, had spent eight months apart while parts of the historic Sea Life centre were being renovated.
Gulliver spent the time at Sea Life Blackpool, enjoying similar seaside comforts to his time in Brighton, while Lulu was sent inland to the National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham.
The turtles were originally rescued from America and came to Sea Life Brighton two decades ago after being nursed back to health at London Zoo.
There will, fortunately, be no more moving for the pair as they live out the rest of their retirement at Sea Life Brighton.
General manager Max Leviston said: “We are
delighted to welcome Lulu and Gulliver back to Brighton.
They are our much-loved turtles and we can’t wait to introduce them to their fantastic new home.”
The turtles were taking a well-earned break while Sea Life Brighton has been undergoing a £2.7 million redevelopment, which will culminate in the launch of a new attraction called Day And Night, which opens on Saturday.
The exhibition will include Britain’s largest collection of sharks and rays and more than 50 species of tropical marine life.
The immersive new feature has a tank split into day and night, with creatures who thrive at different times of the day all on display at once.
Half the tank will be lit as if it were the middle of the day, while the other half will feature glow-in-the dark coral that will mimic the night light shining off it.
To fill the mammoth sealife tank, 700,000 litres of water were transported to the aquarium from Hove Lagoon.
The process, surprisingly, only took two days.
Other special features include an interactive exhibit which will put viewers on a Thai beach and simulate all the magic of dipping your toes in the water – without getting wet.
There is also an exhibit that allows visitors to see what it is like to be a lion fish.
Max said: “This project has been three years in the making.
“We have tried to make it educational and interactive for children and adults.
“We’re very excited
for people to come and see it.”
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