Booga, a sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle, was returned to her ocean home off the Florida Keys Saturday.
Booga, named after the commercial fishing boat whose crew rescued the 125-pound reptile in late September, was released at Marathon’s Sombrero Beach as hundreds of Keys residents and visitors watched.
The crew found the turtle tangled in a fishing trap line.
The U.S. Coast Guard Station Marathon assisted with the rescue and brought Booga ashore to the Turtle Hospital for treatment.
Booga’s right rear flipper was amputated due to the severe entanglement injury. Additional treatment included surgery, broad spectrum antibiotics, vitamins, laser treatment, physical therapy, and a healthy diet.
Turtle Hospital officials said that even with the missing flipper, Booga has excellent chances to survive and breed.
The Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital has been rescuing, rehabilitating and returning turtles to the wild for over 30 years, as well as assisting scores of hatchlings gone astray after exiting their nests.
Opened in September of 1986 as the world’s first state-licensed veterinary sea turtle hospital, the facility is equipped with three turtle ambulances for patient transport.
