Giant Loggerhead Sea Turtle Rescued and Released Off the Florida Keys
ISLAMORADA, Florida Keys – Less than two weeks after being rescued from the pristine waters off the Florida Keys, a giant loggerhead turtle is back where he belongs thanks to the quick thinking of a local underwater photographer, and the dedicated staff at the Turtle Hospital.
Affectionally named “Lenny” by the team that rescued him, the massive, 322-pound loggerhead sea turtle was spotted when Mike Papish, an underwater photographer, saw him in distress and sprang into action.
“Went up, called the Turtle Hospital said there’s an injured turtle here they said try to get them pictures of it,” said Papish.
Papish then worked with the Florida Keys based Turtle Hospital and Sundance Water Sports to rescue the injured turtle, who transported the loggerhead to its facility to treat his severe injuries on March 14, 2025.
“He was found not using his front flipper, due to a predator wound, and when I say predator wound, part of the flipper was actually missing and he had bites to his head,” said Bette Zirkelbach, manager at the Turtle Hospital.
The medical team got to work collecting blood, taking x-rays and measurements. Lenny’s two-week stay at the Turtle Hospital included treatment with broad spectrum antibiotics, fluids, pain medication, vitamins, wound care, and class 4 laser treatment.
Timing was critical for “Lenny’s” release as mating season in the Florida Keys is currently in full swing.
“We see sub-adult and adult loggerheads here in the Florida Keys,” said Zirkelbach. They’re here, they’re looking for dates, they’re here mating.”
North Atlantic Loggerheads are the biggest nesting population in Florida and can live up to 100 years. Lenny is estimated to be 60 to 70 years old.
“It's important to get him out there with the ladies so they can propagate the species,” she added.
The Turtle Hospital has been rescuing, rehabilitating, and returning endangered sea turtles to the wild for over 38 years. For more information on the Turtle Hospital or Lenny visit www.turtlehospital.org
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After weeks of rehab to heal his injuries, “Lenny” the giant loggerhead turtle is going home. Bette Zirkelbach and the team from The Turtle Hospital share in his emotional return to the waters off the Florida Keys on March 25, 2025. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Bob Care/Florida Keys News Bureau)
A moving moment. On the day of his release back into the waters off the Florida Keys, Beth Zirkelbach, manager of the Turtle Hospital, pauses on March 25, 2025, with the giant loggerhead turtle she helped rescue and nurse back to health. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Bob Care/Florida Keys News Bureau)
The journey begins. Just weeks after receiving the urgent care he needed at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, FL, “Lenny” the giant loggerhead turtle is transported on March 25, 2025, to the boat that will take him back to the waters he was rescued from off the Florida Keys. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Bob Care/Florida Keys News Bureau)
An underwater photographer captures the moment Lenny, the giant loggerhead turtle, plunges back into the waters off the Florida Keys after weeks of rehabilitation at the Turtle Hospital. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mike Papish/Florida Keys News Bureau)
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