A loggerhead turtle, washed up in Donegal two years ago, is departing Dublin Airport today and moving to Gran Canaria.
Three-year-old Julius Caesar was discovered when he was just nine-months-old.
He's believed to have arrived in Ireland after being caught up in the wrong current and swept along the gulf stream.
The turtle was suffering from hypothermia, stunned by the cold water, and weighed just a few hundred grams.
After being discovered by a local family, JC was brought to Exploris Aquarium in Portaferry in Co Down.
After two years in a tropical tank, JC will now be taken to the Tarifa Wildlife Recovery Centre.
A veterinarian will oversee the turtle's acclimatisation to the warmer weather, before releasing him back into the sea.
His trip to the Canary Islands has been delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions, but he's leaving today on an Aer Lingus flight in a specially designed waterproof crate and accompanied by a minder.
Aer Lingus pilot Captain Peter Lumsden said: "Like all of us on the flight today, I’m sure he is looking forward to the warmer climate upon landing.”
Captain Lumsden said keeping the turtle’s temperature above 19 degrees is critical, so placing him in the aircraft hold "was not an option".
Instead, his specially designed crate will be securely strapped across a number of seats in the cabin.
The airline says this is not their first repatriation of a loggerhead turtle, after one found in Co Clare was transported to Las Palmas back in December 2014.
Loggerhead sea turtles are considered an endangered species.
They're usually found in the likes of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea, and typically have a lifespan of around 50-60 years.
