Four sea turtles were rehabilitated and successfully released back into the wild by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida this month.
According to Fox News, a juvenile green sea turtle named Sparkler made his journey back into the wild at Fred Howard Park on Thursday. Sparkler was found on the July 4 with a large fibropapillomatosis tumor on its front left flipper and small tumors growing on its eyes.
On Aug. 3, a large green sea turtle named Loaf was accidentally caught by a fisherman. Loaf needed to have the hook removed from its esophagus.
Loaf was released last Monday with Toast, another large green sea turtle that had been brought to the marine animal rescue on Oct 9 after Hurricane Idalia.
In early October, a Kemp ridley sea turtle named Rye had also been successfully sent back into the waters on a journey back to living in the wild.
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium has served aquatic animals in need for over 50 years. According to its website, the organization was formed by volunteers in 1972, but it wasn’t until they rescued a dolphin that the rescue gained national recognition.
On Dec. 10, 2005, a baby dolphin was found wrapped in a crab trap line. She was rescued and taken to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where she lost her tail due to the severity of her injuries.
Unsure if a dolphin could live without a tail, workers and volunteers cared for her around the clock. She was saved, but he body was developing incorrectly. In order to ensure that she grew healthy, Winter became the first dolphin to successfully use a prosthetic tail.
Winter had multiple books written about her, and in 2011, she became a movie star in the film, “Dolphin Tale.”
Winter passed away in 2021, but the Clearwater Marine Aquarium has continued to rescue marine animals like her.