SeaWorld Orlando Returns 128-pound Sea Turtle to Ocean

On the morning of November 19, 2015, the SeaWorld Orlando Animal Rescue Team returned a 128-pound loggerhead sea turtle measuring 30.4 inches long to Canaveral National Seashore’s Playalinda Beach. The large sea turtle (which took three people to carry) energetically crawled into the ocean once placed on the sand. The loggerhead sea turtle was rescued in Cape Canaveral on March 12 after being discovered beached, emaciated, and covered in barnacles. 

The sea turtle was retrieved by a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Ranger and taken to SeaWorld Orlando for treatment. During the course of the 8-month rehabilitation, the sea turtle gained 24 pounds.

As part of treatment, the turtle received a balanced diet, increased vitamin intake, and daily care by SeaWorld Orlando’s veterinary and zoological staff. After a positive trend in health and several medical tests, the turtle was deemed ready to be returned to the ocean by government officials. SeaWorld Orlando veterinarians and zoological staff work closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to determine when and where a rescued animal can be returned.

So far in 2015, SeaWorld Orlando has rescued 58 sea turtles and returned 84. For more than 50 years, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment has helped animals in need – ill, injured, orphaned or abandoned, with the goal of returning them to the wild. More than 27,000 animals have been rescued by the expert animal rescue team that is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you see an injured marine animal, you can help by calling the FWC hotline at (888) 404-3922 or by dialing *FWC on a cellular device. To learn more about SeaWorld’s commitment to animals and the environment, be sure to visit SeaWorldCares.com.

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