'This turtle was far away from its home in the ocean and was not going to survive the tidal waters,' the Stewiacke Volunteer Fire Department said.

Red Rockette was first tagged off Nova Scotia in 2012, and since then her travels to and from a Colombia beach have offered scientists in both countries a previously unseen look into her species' movements and nesting patterns.

St. Anns Bank off Cape Breton Island has been declared an Marine Protected Area to conserve and protect the habitats and species in the area, including the endangered leatherback turtle.