Fifteen turtles that washed up on France's Atlantic coast in poor condition this winter were released back into the ocean on the Isle of Re on Thursday, after being treated at a specialist centre in La Rochelle, western France. The beach at Conche des Baleines, at the northern tip of the island, was not chosen by chance: from here, these Loggerhead turtles, a protected species, were able to catch the warm currents of the Bay of Biscay, where they spend the summer months before heading back to the coasts of Africa or America. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES