The turtle, whose species is rarely seen in Malaysia, weighed about 60kg and was spotted by a fisherman off Pulau Kendi on Sept 7.

Penang Fisheries director Noraisyah Abu Bakar said the turtle was unhurt but appeared to lack the strength to swim.

“We suspect it became stressed while trying to escape the net,” she said.

The fisherman handed over the animal to the Penang Fisheries which later sent it to the aquarium. There, it was given food and supplements.

The turtle, a female, was likely between 17 and 33 years old and mature enough to lay eggs.

Noraisyah said it was likely attracted to Pulau Kendi due to the resource-rich waters in the area.

“It could have wandered far from its natural habitat in search of food,” she added.

She was speaking at Pantai Pasir Belanda, a small beach diagonally across from Pulau Kendi.

Loggerhead turtles, which are brown in colour, are touted as the world’s largest hard-shelled turtle. The shell of this particular turtle measured 111cm across while its head measured 17cm.

According to Noraisyah, the last time a loggerhead turtle was spotted on Malaysian shores was in Sarawak.

She said her officers would monitor the turtle’s activity from time to time.

“We think it will head back to Pulau Kendi. If it is not fit to swim back, we will rehabilitate it again,” she said.

She also urged fishermen and anglers to immediately report to the fisheries department any sightings of turtles stuck in nets or appearing unwell.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the turtle as “vulnerable” under its Red List of threatened species.