Turtle returning to ocean after recovering from spear attack
Friday, November 01, 2019 09:43 am
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In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, Bette Zirkelbach, right, manager of the Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital, and spectators watch as “Splinter,” a federally protected green sea turtle, crawls to the Atlantic Ocean Friday, Nov. 1, 2019, in Key West, Fla. The 150-pound reptile was rescued off Key Largo, Fla., Sept. 7, 2019, with a spear shot into its neck and was transported to the hospital where a veterinarian surgically removed it. (Rob O’Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)
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In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, Bette Zirkelbach, left, and Richie Moretti, right, both of the Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital, place “Splinter,” a federally protected green sea turtle, onto the beach Friday, Nov. 1, 2019, in Key West, Fla. The 150-pound reptile was released some seven weeks after it was rescued off Key Largo, Fla., with a spear shot into its neck. A veterinarian surgically removed the spear at the hospital and “Splinter” recovered. (Rob O’Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)
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In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, Bette Zirkelbach, left, manager of the Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital, provides youngsters marine resources education about “Splinter,” a federally protected green sea turtle, Friday, Nov. 1, 2019, in Key West, Fla. The 150-pound reptile was subsequently released Friday, about seven weeks after it was rescued off Key Largo, Fla., with a spear shot into its neck. A veterinarian surgically removed the spear at the hospital and “Splinter” recovered. (Rob O’Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)
Associated Press
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KEY WEST, Fla. A federally protected green sea turtle was released in the Florida Keys after recovering from a spear shot into its neck.
KEY WEST, Fla. — A federally protected green sea turtle was released in the Florida Keys after recovering from a spear shot into its neck.
The 150-pound (68-kilogram) female, dubbed “Splinter,” returned to the Atlantic Ocean on Friday at Higgs Beach in Key West.
The turtle was rescued off Key Largo Sept. 7 entangled in a commercial fishing trapline. The reptile was transported to the Middle Keys-based Turtle Hospital in Marathon, where a veterinarian surgically removed the 3-foot-long (1-meter-long) spear.
Hospital personnel also provided additional treatment, which included wound care, broad-spectrum antibiotics and a diet of natural sea grass, green vegetables and seafood.
Several Florida Keys businesses have joined with the hospital to pledge a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever speared the turtle.
