Endangered loggerhead sea turtle released to Atlantic Ocean from Florida beach

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JUNO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An endangered loggerhead sea turtle was released Monday morning into the Atlantic Ocean from a Florida beach nearly three months after being hit by a boat.

The adult female, named Swim Shady, returned the wild behind the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, just north of Palm Beach.

Dr. Heather Barron, the center's chief science officer and veterinarian, said such occasions bring a lot of joy to the community.

““It’s a beautiful day out here today, and not surprising there were a lot of people who showed up for the event," Barron said. "I think people really identify with that sense of going home and freedom and recovering from illness or injury.”

The reptile weighed about 268 pounds (122 kilograms) in August when Inwater Research Group found her stranded with buoyancy issues following a boat strike off Port St. Lucie, officials said.

“Boat strikes for sea turtles are very common, particularly this time of year because we are reaching the end of the mating season, but back then in August the mating system was going strong," Barron said. “A lot of humans who are out there enjoying the summer fun as well don’t see the turtles and inadvertently hit them.”

Rescuers found during Swim Shady's evaluation that she was carrying eggs, had limited vision in one eye and was anemic. The turtle underwent surgery to remove a loose piece of carapace, the upper part of her shell and recovered with antibiotics and supportive care.

The turtle's recovery was sponsored by a travel gear company, which held a contest to select her name.