KEY WEST, FLA. (WSVN) - After coming face-to-face with a deadly predator, a sea turtle rescued in the Florida Keys is finally headed home.
Stoney, a 215-pound adult loggerhead, was rescued in Key West last July. He had been the victim of a serious shark attack and was taken to The Turtle Hospital in Marathon.
After eight months of intensive care, therapy and a healthy diet, Stoney was nursed back to good health and released back to sea from Higgs Beach, Sunday afternoon.
“Mother’s Day is a special time, and having a female turtle like Judy that we know is going to go out there — and when she hits maturity, going to be laying eggs — it’s just a wonderful feeling for mothers and for anybody, really,” said Bette Zirkelbach, manager of The Turtle Hospital in Marathon.
Marathon’s sea turtle hospital has been treating and rehabilitating injured turtles for more than 30 years.
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