JUNO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A massive sea turtle that was found injured along the Florida coast in May following a boat strike was returned to the ocean on Wednesday.
The adult female, named Pennywise and weighing 302 pounds (137 kilograms), was deemed healthy and strong enough to return to the wild after being treated by the Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s veterinary team in Palm Beach County, Florida, for the past few months.
After a short ride from the center, six volunteers hauled the turtle on a gurney down the beach as dozens of people captured the moment with cell phone videos and photos. The volunteers then gently laid her down on the sand and the turtle slowly crawled back into the Atlantic.
People clapped and cheered when she reached the water. A large gash from when she was hit by the boat remained visible, but otherwise the turtle was healthy.
“Sea turtle interactions with boats are fatal. So seeing Pennywise survive her injuries and being able to make it to our center was very, very special," said Marika Weber, a veterinary technician at the center. “It was something that we could fix, heal her up and get her back out into the ocean.”
The center had to transport the turtle to a horse clinic for diagnostic imaging because she was too large to fit inside more common CT machines. It was there that the team discovered she was full of eggs.
With sea turtle nesting season underway, Pennywise has the chance to lay her eggs and continue her vital role in the marine ecosystem.
“It was a really exciting day," Weber said. “We had the community — our whole team here at the hospital, all the departments out there — to wish her well.”
Because nesting season in Florida runs from March 1 to Oct. 31, center officials are encouraging boaters to slow down and to be especially mindful when navigating what they refer to as the sea turtle protection zone, which extends a mile (1.6 kilometers) off the coast.
All sea turtles are considered endangered or threatened species.
