Shenandoah The Loggerhead Heads For Home After Rehab In Clearwater

CLEARWATER, FL — On Wednesday, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium released a 250-pound loggerhead turtle named Shenandoah back into the wild on Clearwater Beach after almost three months of rehabilitation.

Shenandoah, one of the largest loggerhead turtles the aquarium has rehabilitated over the past several years, was found floating, experiencing red tide symptoms, including disorientation, lethargy, uncoordinated swimming and struggling to the surface for breaths, off Indian Shores.

He is also missing his front left front flipper, which is completely healed and is unrelated to stranding.

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After a few months of care at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Shenandoah was no longer exhibiting symptoms related to red tide and was healthy, eating well and ready to go back home.

Therefore, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium staff veterinarian and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission cleared him for release.

Equipped with a satellite GPS, the Southeast Stranding Network of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium will be able to keep a close eye on Shenandoah's whereabouts and condition.

Satellite tracking is beneficial for research purposes including the migration of sea turtles and their foraging behavior. Turtle watchers can view the tracking maps of the aquarium's released sea turtles, including Kirby, Bowser, Xeno, Kreacher and Ozzy, here.

Last week, the aquarium said so long to two green sea turtles that were released in Cedar Key in partnership with University of Florida Marine Animal Rescue.

Voyageurs, a juvenile green sea turtle, was found floating in Crystal River, having issues staying submerged. Diagnostics indicated that Voyageurs had increased gastrointestinal gas, which likely caused its buoyancy. After a period on medications and a healthy diet, Voyageurs’s buoyancy soon resolved, and the turtle began resting on the bottom consistently.

Olympic, a subadult green sea turtle, was found by the University of Florida Marine Animal Rescue team. This turtle was entangled in commercial clam gear and struggling to surface. Upon further evaluation, Olympic’s right front flipper had significant trauma caused by the gear, and the veterinarian team determined a complete flipper amputation was needed. After a course of medications and a healthy diet, Olympic’s surgical site healed nicely and the turtle was cleared for release.

The aquarium's only resident loggerhead sea turtle is Snorkel. A threatened species, loggerhead turtles are found in nearly every ocean of the world and can grow to 200 to 300 pounds.

Snorkel was just a baby when she was discovered in November 2018 on the Gulf Shores of Alabama as a "washback," a term marine biologists use to describe a young sea turtle that washes ashore due to heavy winds and surf.

Snorkel had damage to the upper beak and both eyes due to a trauma that occurred before the washback event. As a result, she is blind, is missing her "nares" (nasal openings above the beak on a sea turtle) as well as her upper jaw.

She was determined to be too permanently injured to be released back into the wild.

Working in conjunction with the FWC and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium rescue team responds to calls of sick, injured and dead marine animals along the west coast of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Hernando, Pasco, Citrus and Levy counties.

The team is made up of staff veterinarians, biologists, interns and volunteers specially trained to rescue and care for dolphins, whales, porpoises, sea turtles, manatees and North American river otters.

Since 2010, the aquarium has rescued 1,200 sea turtles.

To learn more about the aquarium's resident sea turtles as well as those being rehabilitated. click here.