Earth Day Sea Turtle Release Draws Hundreds to Florida Keys Beach

MARATHON, Florida Keys – The warm waters off the Florida Keys provided the perfect welcome home for a rehabilitated sea turtle this Earth Day. Hundreds of spectators erupted in cheers as ‘Addie’ — made her way into the Atlantic Ocean for a fresh start. But it’s her miraculous recovery story on land that made an even bigger splash. 

 “Addie is a juvenile green sea turtle who has been rehabilitating at the Turtle Hospital since August of last year, said Bette Zirkelbach (pronounced Betty ZIR kull back), the hospital’s manager. “She had a fishing hook deeply embedded in her esophagus. She was covered in fibropapilloma tumors.” 

 'Addie,’ who wasn’t expected to survive, didn’t have a bright prognosis. Following her surgery, she couldn’t lift her head. So instead of returning to water, she had to be placed on a shower bed for a month, where she underwent physical therapy, then fed by tube twice a day for two months. When she was healthy again, ‘Addie’ gave the medical team quite the scare. In fact, she was brought back to life three different times during her stay at Florida Keys Turtle Hospital, which makes her strength and recovery even more praiseworthy.  

 Zirkelbach was grateful this turtle release coincided with Earth Day because, she says, it provides a platform to educate others. Before releasing ‘Addie’ back into the ocean, kids had a chance to learn from Zirkelbach about the need to protect the Earth and its ecosystems. 

 “People want to do good things. And caring for sea turtles gives them something to care about,” she said.  

The Florida Keys’ Turtle Hospital, based in Marathon, Fla., has been rescuing, rehabilitating and returning sea turtles to the wild for almost 40 years. To learn more visit, www.turtlehospital.org. 

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