Rehabilitated green sea turtle returns to wild

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) - A rehabilitated green sea turtle was returned to the wild on Thursday off Florida’s east coast.

Pearl was found in December in the Bal Harbour area dehydrated, lethargic and with parasites. The turtle was taken to Miami Seaquarium where the animal spent months recovering, park officials said. The turtle, about a year old and too young for park officials to determine its gender so early on, was named Pearl because it was found before the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.

Pearl was released at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne. Onlookers took pictures as the turtle calmly waited along the surf before slowing making its way into the water and disappearing under the blue waves.

“If feels good seeing them go,” said Jodi Tuzinski of the Miami Seaquarium. “I’m a little worried and hope that she does Ok. You know nature is not always friendly. But I hope the best for her and the best for her is to go back out there and hopefully be able to reproduce and keep continuing with the species because they are endangered and they need all of the representatives that they can get.”

Florida’s breeding population of green turtles is classified as endangered, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the species’ numbers are in decline because of illegal trade in sea turtle products, habitat loss, and harm from pollution, dredges, offshore oil and exploration activities, fishing gear, and boats.

Long-distance swimmer Ben Lecomte was on hand Thursday to help release Pearl. The 10-bound turtle excitedly flapped its fins before Lecomte gently placed Pearl near the waves.

“I’m a godfather. It’s almost having the same feeling,” he described the release. “It’s being close to a very particular time of the life of a sea turtle, like a second chance for it, and it was a privilege for me to give it the go.”

Lecomte, who is attempting to swim the Pacific Ocean from Tokyo to San Francisco later this year, said he often swims among plastic and other debris and hoped to shine a spotlight on “pollution, with making the right choices to become more sustainable and to also applaud people who are doing many things like the rehabilitating program at Miami Seaquarium.”