DOUBLE SEA TURTLE RELEASE
Tuesday July 16
8:30am
Inlet Beach Regional Beach Access
W Park Place Ave Inlet Beach
Gulf World Marine Institute (GWMI) is releasing two subadult sea turtles back into the Gulf of Mexico next Tuesday morning, July 16, 2024, at 830 am CT at 438 Park Place Avenue, Inlet Beach, Florida. Please note that the event time on Facebook shows a slightly earlier starting time to encourage attendees to arrive early! Once the turtles arrive, the event goes fast!
Firstly, “Ronaldo” the subadult loggerhead sea turtle was accidentally hooked by a fisherman on the Russell-Fields City Pier in the evening on July 1. The fisherman did the right thing and engaged aid from the pier management and the Panama City Beach, Beach Safety Division Lifeguards. A full medical assessment showed that “Ronaldo” had 4 external hooks and 5 internal hooks! All the external hooks were removed, and Ronaldo was placed in water for observations. When it became clear that Ronaldo was managing the water just fine, and still had an appetite, the staff fed out squid stuffed with cotton balls, which encourage internal hooks and line to pass safely through the turtle’s intestines. After a few days, staff and volunteers began finding and securing hooks that had been passed out into Ronaldo’s habitat! Ronaldo is now hook-free! A fun fact about Ronaldo: he/she has been in rehabilitation with GWMI previously! Ronaldo was first encountered in 2022, after being caught at the same fishing pier, and was released a few months later in 2022. The GWMI staff were able to match internal and external tag IDs with the program’s database to confirm that Ronaldo was back again.
The second sea turtle being released is “Hambo”, the subadult green sea turtle. Hambo originally stranded on Eglin Air Force Base in Okaloosa County on May 1, 2024. Hambo was found by morning sea turtle nest surveyors, and he/she needed rescuing. Hambo’s right front flipper was severely entangled in fishing line, which ultimately caused the medical team to remove the flipper for the turtle’s well-being. Having lost a flipper, Hambo had to relearn how to swim and navigate a water habitat. Thankfully, with time, Hambo recovered well, can manage deep water habitats easily, and has a strong appetite.
Gulf World Marine Institute is very grateful to those involved in the rescue and transport of these sea turtles, including the fisherman, Russell-Fields Pier, PCB Lifeguards, PCB Turtle Watch, Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Center, Eglin AFB turtle patrol, and South Walton Turtle Watch! Both turtles have been medically cleared by veterinary staff and have been cleared for release by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The public is invited to attend this event. Please keep in mind this event is subject to change based on weather conditions.
GWMI would like to thank everyone involved in the rescue of stranded sea turtles. If you see a stranded or deceased dolphin, whale or sea turtle, please immediately report to Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, 1-888-404-3922 or #FWC on your cell phone.
Tuesday July 16
8:30am
Inlet Beach Regional Beach Access
W Park Place Ave Inlet Beach
Gulf World Marine Institute (GWMI) is releasing two subadult sea turtles back into the Gulf of Mexico next Tuesday morning, July 16, 2024, at 830 am CT at 438 Park Place Avenue, Inlet Beach, Florida. Please note that the event time on Facebook shows a slightly earlier starting time to encourage attendees to arrive early! Once the turtles arrive, the event goes fast!
Firstly, “Ronaldo” the subadult loggerhead sea turtle was accidentally hooked by a fisherman on the Russell-Fields City Pier in the evening on July 1. The fisherman did the right thing and engaged aid from the pier management and the Panama City Beach, Beach Safety Division Lifeguards. A full medical assessment showed that “Ronaldo” had 4 external hooks and 5 internal hooks! All the external hooks were removed, and Ronaldo was placed in water for observations. When it became clear that Ronaldo was managing the water just fine, and still had an appetite, the staff fed out squid stuffed with cotton balls, which encourage internal hooks and line to pass safely through the turtle’s intestines. After a few days, staff and volunteers began finding and securing hooks that had been passed out into Ronaldo’s habitat! Ronaldo is now hook-free! A fun fact about Ronaldo: he/she has been in rehabilitation with GWMI previously! Ronaldo was first encountered in 2022, after being caught at the same fishing pier, and was released a few months later in 2022. The GWMI staff were able to match internal and external tag IDs with the program’s database to confirm that Ronaldo was back again.
The second sea turtle being released is “Hambo”, the subadult green sea turtle. Hambo originally stranded on Eglin Air Force Base in Okaloosa County on May 1, 2024. Hambo was found by morning sea turtle nest surveyors, and he/she needed rescuing. Hambo’s right front flipper was severely entangled in fishing line, which ultimately caused the medical team to remove the flipper for the turtle’s well-being. Having lost a flipper, Hambo had to relearn how to swim and navigate a water habitat. Thankfully, with time, Hambo recovered well, can manage deep water habitats easily, and has a strong appetite.
Gulf World Marine Institute is very grateful to those involved in the rescue and transport of these sea turtles, including the fisherman, Russell-Fields Pier, PCB Lifeguards, PCB Turtle Watch, Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Center, Eglin AFB turtle patrol, and South Walton Turtle Watch! Both turtles have been medically cleared by veterinary staff and have been cleared for release by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The public is invited to attend this event. Please keep in mind this event is subject to change based on weather conditions.
GWMI would like to thank everyone involved in the rescue of stranded sea turtles. If you see a stranded or deceased dolphin, whale or sea turtle, please immediately report to Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, 1-888-404-3922 or #FWC on your cell phone.