Ponce Inlet, FL – A juvenile green sea turtle that’s been in rehab for the past 5 months is going back to Mother Nature.
Officials at the Marine Science Center plan to release “Bentley” at 3pm Wednesday on the north side of the Beach Street Ramp in Ponce Inlet, assuming weather conditions cooperate.
MSC Turtle Rehabilitation Manager Melissa Ranly says Bentley was found stranded on the beach in Ponce Inlet last April.
“Bentley was weak, underweight and covered in algae and barnacles,” Ranly added. “[That] indicated an illness that caused prolonged inactivity.”
Workers at MSC’s turtle hospital also found a healed wound on the top left part of Bentley’s skull that left a severe indentation, but they breathed a sigh of relief after X-rays showed that his brain and internal structures were intact.
Since then, Bentley has put on nearly 4 pounds and currently weighs around 10.5 pounds. MSC workers also removed all the algae and barnacles while giving him treatment for dehydration, an electrolyte imbalance and internal parasites.
Ranly says Bentley has made a full recovery and is well enough to be on his own again.
The Marine Science Center has treated 105 sea turtles, dozens of hatchlings and 75 other reptiles – including gopher tortoises, box turtles and freshwater turtles – since the calendar turned to 2015.
Bentley’s before and after pictures (posted above and below) are courtesy of MSC.
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.