Although World Turtle Day may have come and gone already, it was a fresh new start for an endangered Loggerhead Turtle who was given a second chance at life after being re-released into the wild.
The creature was reportedly snatched up by wildlife experts back in January of this year when it was found injured; it was reportedly missing its front left flipper and had an intestinal blockage caused by devouring too many sand dollars.
Image Credit: SeaWorld
The creature was transported to SeaWorld Orlando where it was cared for by experts in the marine wildlife field, and it’s said to have weighed 218 pounds when it was initially brought in.
For what it’s worth, SeaWorld is known for rescuing Sea Turtles. Having rescued more than 2,000 of them since the 80’s, one might say they’re experts in the field.
Related: SeaWorld announces it will no longer breed Orcas
The Loggerhead Turtle was given medications and therapy, as well as fed a healthy diet, for a few months to ensure that the intestinal blockage would pass and that the creature would survive.
Related: Turtle has almost 1,000 coints surgically removed from its stomach
On World Turtle Day, which was May 23rd, it was officially re-released into the wild at Sebastian Inlet in Florida by SeaWorld and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) following five months of intensive medical care.
Before its release, experts weighed the Loggerhead Turtle again and found it to be 230 pounds, which is an improvement from its initial weight. Removing the blockage probably encouraged the animal to eat more, which will undoubtedly help it on its quest to survive in the wild.
The turtle doesn’t have an official name, but it can now go off and resume life as usual where it belongs. As a male, it can now go off and try to reproduce, which would be great for the species.
You can watch the release video here:
Source: Orlando Weekly
