Hundreds of people lined a Key West beach Friday to watch Timmy, a 270-pound loggerhead sea turtle, return to the Atlantic after weeks of rehabilitation.
Hundreds of people lined a Key West beach Friday to watch Timmy, a 270-pound loggerhead sea turtle, return to the Atlantic after weeks of rehabilitation.
Turtle Hospital staff carried the massive turtle onto the sand at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park as spectators crowded around, many holding up phones to capture the moment. Once placed on the beach, Timmy slowly made her way toward the water before disappearing into the ocean.
For the caregivers who helped nurse her back to health, the release marked an important victory not only for Timmy but also for the future of the species.
“Seeing a turtle like Timmy that has survived our oceans for so many decades, getting a reproductive female like her returned to her ocean home is most important for the survival of their species,” Turtle Hospital General Manager Bette Zirkelbach said.
The endangered loggerhead had won over staff during her rehabilitation, and that affection appeared to spread well beyond the hospital. Hundreds turned out to witness her return to the wild.
“Seeing the hundreds of people coming out for Timmy’s release today, it warms my heart, and I know that that compassion is contagious,” Zirkelbach said.
She said inspiring that connection between people and wildlife can play an important role in conservation.
“The most important thing we can do to help save sea turtles is to fall in love with them,” Zirkelbach said. “So to see these people come out and their takeaway to be in love with Timmy organically, they’re going to want to protect sea turtles and our oceans.”
Florida Rep. Jim Mooney, who attended the release, said protecting the Keys’ environment requires educating future generations about its importance.
“We have to maintain through education how important our environment is, not just for us but for the future, the little kids that are walking around today,” Mooney said. “That’s what this is about.”
Mooney said environmental protection is also closely tied to the economy of the Florida Keys, where tourism depends heavily on the region’s waters and wildlife.
“My goal, having been a Keys kid my entire life and still a Keys kid, is to protect the environment because I know what the environment means to our tourism,” he said.
For Timmy, the message Friday was simpler. Surrounded by cheers from the crowd, the loggerhead crossed the sand, reached the surf and headed back to sea.
Source: Florida Keys News Bureau
