Clearwater Marine Aquarium Rehabilitates Three Rescued Turtles, Releases Them Back into the Wild
Credits: Clearwater Aquarium
By Tampa Bay Living Magazine staff
Three turtles—two green sea turtles and one Kemp's ridley turtle—have been rehabbed at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and returned to the wild.
Credits: Clearwater Aquarium
Two juvenile green sea turtles, Sparkler and Toast, were released at Fred Howard Park, while Loaf, a Kemp’s ridley turtle, was released in the city of Homosassa, north of Tampa. In addition, earlier this month, Rye, a juvenile Kemp’s ridley, was also released at Fred Howard Park, close to where they were found in the Spring Hill area.
On Aug. 3, a fisherman unintentionally captured Loaf, and aquarium workers later removed hooks from its esophagus. Sparkler was discovered on July 4 with a serious fibropapillomatosis tumor on his left front flipper as well as smaller lesions on both eyes. Aquarium veterinarians surgically removed the tumors. Toast, a huge green sea turtle, was found in a wooded area in north Florida on October 9, likely due to Hurricane Idalia.
Green sea turtles and Kemp's ridley turtles are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. However, conservationists in Florida are also witnessing a significant increase in turtle nests, particularly on Florida’s Space Coast. The area recorded over 52,500 nests in 2023, indicating the importance of protecting turtle breeding grounds. Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge experienced a 195% rise in green sea turtle nests, a critically endangered species, from 4,638 nests in the same period last year.