The Gulfarium CARE Center proudly released five rehabilitated sea turtles back into the Gulf yesterday morning at Inlet Beach. Locals, visitors, and sea turtle conservation supporters gathered to witness as the turtles made their way into the surf after weeks of treatment and care at the CARE Center.
Among the released patients were several loggerheads, including Zelda, a 132-pound turtle rescued from Navarre Beach Fishing Pier with a J-hook lodged in her esophagus, and Ditto, also weighing 132 pounds, who was foul-hooked at the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier just days ago. Both were treated quickly and successfully, despite Zelda’s history of previous hook injuries and Ditto’s past shark bite scars. Joining them was Ginger, a 112-pound loggerhead whose esophageal hook was removed non-surgically with the aid of a medical endoscope machine.
Saffron, a 68-pound loggerhead, earned her “swimming papers” after naturally passing a small hook discovered in her stomach only three days after rescue. Teine, the smallest of the group at just 13 pounds, was a juvenile green sea turtle who required only a brief checkup after her hook was removed during rescue. With each cleared for release through Gulfarium CARE veterinarians, animal care givers, and state officials, all five turtles made a strong return to the Gulf yesterday.
“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—some of these as easy as properly discarding fishing gear and calling authorities when a hooked turtle is spotted.
If you see a sea turtle in distress, injured, or deceased, please contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at 1-888-404-FWCC (1-888-404-3922).
To learn more about the Gulfarium CARE Center, its patients, and ongoing conservation efforts, visit gulfarium.com/carecenter.
