The turtles had been in the care of the Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Center team following incidents where they were found hooked or entangled by fishing gear along the Emerald Coast. The turtles were released Tuesday, June 17 from Topsail Hill Preserve State Park.
Of the turtles released, four were Kemp’s ridley, three were loggerheads and one was a green sea turtle. Here is a list of the sea turtles recently released:
- Colter – An adult male Kemp’s ridley, critically endangered and incredibly rare. He was satellite tagged in partnership with USGS and Mote Marine Lab to help researchers track his movements post-release.
- Kora – A subadult loggerhead and repeat patient, recovered from an entanglement, that passed one internal hook naturally after two were removed.
- Milton – A subadult loggerhead hooked in the flipper, but in great health and cleared for release with no internal injuries.
- Kai Koi – A subadult Kemp’s ridley with multiple hook fragments in the mouth and esophagus, treated and released after just four days.
- Zelda – A 132 lb. subadult loggerhead with multiple hooks throughout her body.
- Gamora – A tiny juvenile green sea turtle with a hook injury near her eye. With treatment, her eye made a full recovery and she was cleared to return.
- Maple – A juvenile Kemp’s ridley weighing just 3.9 lbs., healed from a hook removal and ready for open water.
- Beatrice – A 2.6 lb. juvenile Kemp’s ridley with a quick recovery after a single hook removal.
To find out more information on the Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Center, visit https://gulfarium.com/carecenter/.