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Loggerhead Turtle Rescued From A Coconut Grove Canal

COCONUT GROVE (CBSMiami) -- Rescued just in time.  An injured loggerhead sea turtle was pulled out of a Coconut Grove canal by Florida Fish and Wildlife Officials  after receiving a call from a good Samaritan of a turtle in distress.

"We immediately responded to the area by land and water we were able to locate the turtle and bring her into our FWC vessel"  said Jorge Pino with FWC.

Once the injured turtle was on board she was given immediate care. FWC officials poured water and covered her with a wet towel to make sure the turtle would not suffer from dehydration.  The loggerhead was settled in and rushed to the Miami Seaquarium to be treated for injuries believed to be from a boat.

"You can see she is missing her front flipper, has damage to its right eye and obviously the left side is where she was hit by the boat and crushed"  said Jodi Tusinski from the Miami Seaquarium.

The injury so bad half of her shell is missing.

"The wound on her back with the boat strike a bad one we are going to have to find out what is going on inside that shell"  said Tusinski.

At the Miami Seaquarium veterinarians will be treating the injured loggerhead sea turtle.  A group was standing by waiting for the adult turtle to arrive and once docked she was carefully carried out of the boat loaded onto a foam bed and placed in a golf cart to be taken to the care facility at the Miami Seaquarium.

Despite her injuries however, experts say the turtle is showing promising signs they told CBS4's Marybel Rodriguez when FWC officials found her she was able to dive and was eating.

A veterinarian will now examine the turtle to determine the extent of her injuries.  She will remain at the Miami Seaquarium as long as needed until she is fully rehabilitated and able to go back out to sea.

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