Florida Keys symbolic release of sea turtle heralds Earth Day

Yahoo

23-04-2025

April 22 (UPI) -- Hundreds arrived at Marathon, Fla., to witness the release of a rehabilitated sea turtle named Addie into the Atlantic Ocean during the Florida Keys Earth Day celebration Tuesday morning.
Addie was found in August and taken to The Turtle Hospital in Marathon while near death, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.
She was afflicted with fibropapilloma tumors and had a large fishhook embedded in her esophagus when she arrived at the hospital that specializes in treating sea turtles.
Addie died several times but was brought back to life three times during her stay at the hospital and eventually recovered.
Turtle Hospital manager Bette Zirkelbach on Monday thanked the small non-profit's supporters for their "healing energies for Addie!" in a Facebook post announcing Addie's release to celebrate Earth Day.
"Addie's journey in rehab was a long one," Zirkelbach said. "With the help of our incredibly dedicated animal care team, she beat the odds and is returning to her ocean home tomorrow, on Earth Day."
Addie was released back into the ocean at Sombrero Beach in Marathon at 10 a.m.
Six of the world's seven species of sea turtles are listed as threatened or endangered, according to SEE Turtles.
Sea Turtles face many dangers, including being caught in fishing nets, becoming entangled in debris and swallowing pieces of discarded plastic that wind up in the world's oceans, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries division.
People can protect sea turtles by participating in coastal cleanups and reducing the use of plastics that could wind up in the water or litter beaches, NOAA Fisheries says.
People also should avoid releasing balloons that could end up in the ocean waters, where sea turtles might confuse them for prey and swallow them.
Nesting beaches should be protected and kept safe for sea turtles by turning off or shielding lights from the nesting areas that could disorient hatchlings or discourage females from nesting.
Any nesting sea turtles, hatchlings and nests also should be left alone, and organizing sea turtle watches can help ensure they have safe nesting areas to reproduce.
People also should remove chairs and umbrellas at night and knock down any sand castles and fill in any holes they might make during the daytime to prevent blocking sea turtles from their preferred nesting areas.
Boaters also are advised to go slowly through near-shore waters, bays and sounds to avoid hitting sea turtles as they surface for air.
Boaters also should remove their boats from nesting areas on beaches to enable easy access for sea turtles.