Mote Plans Sea Turtle Release Thursday

Mote Marine Laboratory plans to release a juvenile green sea turtle on Thursday. “Henry” has been recovering at its sea turtle hospital since January. Photo of another sea turtle recovering at Mote’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital courtesy of Mote Marine Laboratory.

SARASOTA, FL — The folks at Sarasota’s Mote Marine Laboratory are celebrating a successful sea turtle rehabilitation with a release set for Thursday morning. “Henry,” a juvenile green sea turtle is expected to return to the wild from Anna Maria Island.

The release is set to take place at the 316 North Bay Blvd. park in Anna Maria at 10 a.m. May 12. Spectators who hope to watch the release may want to arrive a little early.

Henry was found offshore of Anna Maria Island on Jan. 23. The little green sea turtle had a body temperature that was too low, was covered in seaweed, had several small papilloma tumors and had problems floating, Mote wrote in an email to media.

Mote’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital staff have provided care for Henry during his rehabilitation. The laboratory’s hospital is one of only four in Florida equipped with the facilities to care for turtles that suffer from “fibropapillomatosis, a little-understood disease that can cause life-threatening papilloma tumors in sea turtles,” the email explained. “Because scientists are still learning how this disease is transmitted among turtles, Mote has expanded its “pap” ward, a separate facility just for animals with these tumors.”

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Henry was named after Henry Wells, the founder of Wells Fargo. The company has been a supporter of Mote’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital since 2011. Henry’s rehabilitation, Mote said, was funded by a $7,500 grant provided by Wells Fargo in 2015 for the sea turtle hospital.

“We are incredibly grateful for Well Fargo’s ongoing support to help turtles like Henry be able to return to the wild and hopefully live a long, healthy life,” Lynne Byrd, Mote’s medical care and rehabilitation coordinator, said. “Caring for hospitalized marine animals is expensive. Tests to identify diseases and determine the scope of injuries, as well as treatments for hospitalized animals are often the same as for human patients, and at the same cost. Without the support of Wells Fargo, many turtles might not get the chance they deserve.”

Wells Fargo representatives plan to be on hand for Thursday’s release.

Anyone who happens to encounter a sick, stranded or injured sea turtle in Manatee or Sarasota County waters is asked to call Mote Marine Laboratory’s Stranding Investigations Program at 941-988-0212. Sightings outside of those two counties should be reported to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

Anyone who sees people tampering with sea turtles nests or harassing sea turtles is asked to call FWC, local law enforcement or Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program at 941-388-4331.

Sea turtles are protected under federal law. It is illegal to harass or interfere with them in any way or to disturb a nest.

To find out more about Mote’s sea turtle hospital, visit the organization’s website.