On March 20th, 2007 Coral World returned a rare loggerhead sea turtle to the ocean after ensuring that the animal was in good health and able to fend for itself. The release occurred within days of the release of Zada, a large green sea turtle, also rehabilitated at Coral World.
Coral World’s Vice President of Operations Peter Noah observed, “We are receiving more frequent calls to assist with the rehabilitation of large sea turtles. Having two such large turtles at Coral World simultaneously is a strain on our current rehabilitation capacity and staff resources, but we are the only facility in the region able to care for these animals until they can be released.”
Local fisherman spotted a very large loggerhead turtle behaving strangely in the water between St. Thomas and St. Croix. With the assistance of DPNR, the local fisherman transported the turtle to Red Hook on St. Thomas where Coral World Marine Operations staff took over. According to Noah, “Although the animal did not have any visible signs of injury, there was some question whether he/she could dive , which a turtle must do to forage for food.”
The loggerhead joined Zada, a large green sea turtle that had been in Coral World’s care for nearly three months following amputation of a flipper. Fortunately, the loggerhead’s stay at Coral World lasted only a week. Coral World staff provided hydration and closely monitored the loggerhead to make sure it was eating properly and able to dive. Loggerheads are the most commonly seen turtle in Florida but are very rarely seen around the Virgin Islands.
Noah stated, “Coral World has been planning an expansion of its rehabilitation facilities. Our goal is to be able to provide a temporary home, and in some cases a permanent home, to stranded marine mammals, injured sea turtles and other marine animals.” According to Noah, such a facility would create an exceptional opportunity for scientific research and public education.