2 Sea Turtles Head For Home After Being Treated For Injuries

CLEARWATER, FL — It was a bittersweet day for Clearwater Marine Aquarium staff as two endangered sea turtles were released back into the wild after living at the aquarium for months to undergo treatment for injuries.

On Thursday, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium released the two sea turtles at Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs, the aquarium's first sea turtle release of the year.

Scooter is a young, 167-pound loggerhead turtle that was caught by a fisherman near Honeymoon Island in Dunedin.

Upon arrival at the aquarium on Aug. 25, an x-ray revealed Scooter had ingested a large “J” hook that was lodged deep in Scooter’s esophagus. Surgery was performed with anesthesia by CMA’s veterinarians and the hook was successfully removed.

Video courtesy Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Charlie is a young adult, 40.7-pound Kemp’s Ridley, the rarest species of sea turtle and critically endangered, making her release important to the species' survival.

Aquarium vets say it's rare to have a young adult Kemp’s Ridley in its hospital. They are typically younger. Charlie was found floating near Cedar Key off Levy County on Aug. 22 after being struck by a boat. She had wounds on the bottom portion of her shell and was transported to the aquarium for treatment. There, she received vitamins, fluids, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications.

Both Charlie and Scooter were cleared for release by Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s veterinarian and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Since 2016, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium has rehabilitated and released 300 rescued marine animals including 182 sea turtles in 2018 and 154 in 2019.