The Gulfarium CARE Center released five rehabilitated sea turtles into the Gulf at Inlet Beach last Wednesday morning.
The released patients included several loggerheads:
- Zelda – a 132-pound turtle rescued from Navarre Beach Fishing Pier with a J-hook lodged in her esophagus.
- Ditto – also weighing 132 pounds, who was foul-hooked at the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier.
- Ginger – a 112-pound loggerhead, had her esophageal hook removed non-surgically with the aid of a medical endoscope machine.
- Saffron – a 68-pound loggerhead, naturally passed a small hook discovered in her stomach three days after rescue.
- Teine – the smallest at 13 pounds, was a juvenile green sea turtle who required only a brief checkup after her hook was removed during rescue.
Gulfarium CARE veterinarians, animal care givers and state officials cleared all five turtles for release.
“Days like today showcase not only the resiliency of these turtles, but also the importance of our work and the role the community plays in protecting marine life,” said Tabitha Siegfried, Stranding Coordinator for the Gulfarium CARE Center.
Since opening in 2015, the Gulfarium CARE Center has rescued, rehabilitated and released hundreds of sea turtles along the Emerald Coast. Each release serves as both a conservation success story and an opportunity to raise awareness about how the public can help by properly discarding fishing gear and calling authorities when a hooked turtle is spotted.
Anyone who sees a sea turtle in distress, injured or deceased should contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC. More information about the Gulfarium CARE Center is available here.
