PHOTOS: SeaWorld Returns Sea Turtles and Sandhill Crane Home After Caring for Them
The SeaWorld Orlando rescue team has had a busy June and their efforts are paying off! On June 18, three juvenile green sea turtles were returned to their natural environment by the SeaWorld Orlando rescue team after months of treatment at SeaWorld Orlando.
The three turtles were rescued in February and were found lethargic and covered in barnacles. One, found at Vark Park in Flagler City was returned to the nearby Tom Renick Park in Ormond Beach, while the other two were returned to Washington Oaks Gardens State Park in Flagler City after transferring to SeaWorld Orlando from Whitey lab.
On Tuesday, June 25, two loggerhead turtles also made their way back to the Atlantic Ocean with the help of the SeaWorld Orlando rescue team when they were returned to Coca Beach.
One loggerhead had been rescued by the UCF marine turtle group in March from the Trident Basin at Canaveral Air Force Station and was found missing his left flipper from a previous injury, lethargic and covered in barnacles. The second loggerhead, also found lethargic and emaciated, was rescued in March from Cape Canaveral and transferred to SeaWorld Orlando from the Brevard Zoo Sea Turtle Healing Center. Both turtles received full veterinary exam antibiotics, anti-parasitic treatments, and a proper healthy diet while in SeaWorld Orlando’s care.
One loggerhead had been rescued by the UCF marine turtle group in March from the Trident Basin at Canaveral Air Force Station and was found missing his left flipper from a previous injury, lethargic and covered in barnacles. The second loggerhead, also found lethargic and emaciated, was rescued in March from Cape Canaveral and transferred to SeaWorld Orlando from the Brevard Zoo Sea Turtle Healing Center. Both turtles received full veterinary exam antibiotics, anti-parasitic treatments, and a proper healthy diet while in SeaWorld Orlando’s care.
Additionally on June 25, the SeaWorld Orlando rescue team returned a Florida Sandhill crane with a fishhook in its foot. The bird was monitored and treated with antibiotics prior to being returned. Florida Sandhill cranes are protected by both state and federal law due to decreased population as a result of habitat destruction.
In collaboration with government agencies and partner marine life facilities, more than 2,000 sea turtles have been rescued by the SeaWorld Orlando team since 1980. 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 35,000 animals have been rescued by the expert animal rescue team that is on call 24 hours a day, seven 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.
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