270-Pound Distressed Sea Turtle Rescued Off FL Keys

FLORIDA KEYS — A U.S. Coast Guard Station Key West boat crew and the Marathon Turtle Hospital worked together Sunday to rescue a large distressed loggerhead sea turtle about 7 miles south of Sugarloaf Key.

Recreational boaters found the turtle and worked with the Coast Guard crew to bring her safely ashore.

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The turtle was “found struggling at the surface and swimming erratically in more than 100 feet of water,” the Turtle Hospital said in a live video on social media, adding that while she is strong, there was “something irregular about her movements in the water.”

Once on land, hospital staff took over the turtle’s care for evaluation and rehabilitation, naming her Timmy.

The hospital estimates that Timmy is between 70 and 80 years old

While the Coast Guard initially estimated Timmy to be about 450 pounds, the Turtle Hospital said the “ginormous” turtle actually weighs just over 270 pounds.

Hospital staff struggled with Timmy on their way back to their facility.

“It was no easy task; she wreaked havoc in the back of the ambulance on the way here to the hospital, which is about an hour drive,” according to the video. “She got out of a rescue bin and tossed things around.”

She underwent a full diagnostic workup at the hospital. While her initial bloodwork “looked good,” additional samples were sent out for further diagnostic testing, including for bacteria and biotoxins, the hospital said.