| Sea Turtles Go Back to Nature |
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| December 09, 2007 |
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Sea turtles are creatures of few words, but I imagine that if they spoke, certain lucky turtles would express their appreciation for the kind folks that saved them from near death, cared for them and released them back into the wild to continue doing what turtles were put here to do.
Turtles "Astro" and "Kelsey" were released back into the wild on Friday morning by their rehabilitators from Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota. Astro is a loggerhead turtle discovered in June 2007 floating near a weather buoy near New Pass in Sarasota. Astro was treated for infection and parasites and was released on December 7th on Lido beach.
Kelsey is a juvenile Kemp's ridley turtle and was found in June near Fort DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg. Kelsey had become entangled in fishing line, which was wrapped around a front flipper. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the veterinarians at Mote's Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital, the flipper had to be amputated.
Sea turtles have been observed getting along just fine in the wild despite the loss of one or two flippers, so Kelsey's chance of living a happy life are very good. Kelsey was released into the bay on northern Longboat Key, behind Moore's Stone Crab, a local landmark restaurant right on the water. I attended the release and snapped a few photos.
Various local TV stations had camera crews on the scene. We all stood around patiently waiting for Kelsey to arrive. The news teams were pleased at having such an enjoyable island assignment on a sunny and warm Friday.
A little later than scheduled, Dr. Charles Manire, Mote's Chief Veterinarian, arrived with staff and with Kelsey safely tucked into a padded box. The turtle handler held Kelsey up for a photo op while questions were asked of Dr. Manire.
I was curious as to why Astro was released on the Gulf side, but Kelsey was being released into the bay. Dr. Manire explained that because of Kelsey's small size, they thought it better to release the turtle into the more protected bay waters. Then the Mote staff waded into the water with Kelsey and released the recovered and healthy turtle back into its home. A job well done by people who clearly love and believe in what they do.
Mote's Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital has been in operation for 12 years and has rehabilitated and released over 100 sea turtles.
Mote Marine Laboratory was founded in 1955 and is a nonprofit marine research organization. Mote facilities include a beautiful and very popular marine aquarium that is open to the public. If you are in the Sarasota area, you really must stop in for a visit at Mote Marine Aquarium. Plan to spend at least half the day or more to really see and appreciate everything in the aquarium. And try to arrange to arrive early, it is a very popular place.
Visit the Mote Marine Laboratory website to find out more about what you can see and do there. And visit Mote TV to see a video clip of a turtle release!
Mote Marine Laboratory is on Lido Key at 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236.
Google map to Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium.
I'll see you at the beach! |
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| Kelsey the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle poses for a photo before being released back into the wild. |
| Credit: David McRee, VISITFLORIDA Beaches Expert |
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