SeaWorld Releases Loggerhead Turtle, 1,000th Rehabilitated

TITUSVILLE  (CBS4) – There is one more loggerhead sea turtle in the wild, thanks to SeaWorld.

The marine animal park just released its 1,000th rehabilitated sea turtle at Canaveral National Seashore.

The loggerhead turtle, considered a threatened species, was put back into the Atlantic on Friday. It was brought to SeaWorld in September suffering from lockjaw and weighed 70 pounds.

After rehabilitation, it regained normal function of its jaw and is back to a normal weight of 102 pounds.

The loggerhead sea turtle occurs throughout the temperate and tropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. However, the majority of loggerhead nesting is at the western rims of the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

The most recent reviews show that only two loggerhead nesting beaches have greater than 10,000 females nesting per year: South Florida and Oman, according to the North Florida Ecological Services Office Web site.

The park's Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation Team has cared for more than 1,500 turtles since its sea turtle rescue program began at SeaWorld Orlando in 1980.

Turtles most often suffer from injuries from fishing line, hooks and nets, eating trash and plastic bags, boat strikes, natural illnesses and oil contamination.

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