See Ya ‘Sheldon', Sea Turtle Release In Florida Keys With Satellite Tracker

CBS Miami

February 20, 2022

Just in time for sea turtle mating season in the Florida Keys, a large 230-pound male loggerhead turtle, rehabilitated at the Turtle Hospital after being found entangled in crab trap line, was released off Pigeon Key Friday.

“Sheldon,” named by his rescuers stationed in the Middle Keys with the U.S. Coast Guard, was discovered in early February near the iconic Old Seven Mile Bridge, whose recently reopened 2.2-mile span connects Marathon with Pigeon Key known for its ties to Henry Flagler’s Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad.

“It’s mating season in the Florida Keys, it’s important to get this massive male turtle back out to sea so that he can begin mating and help preserve the species,” said Bette Zirkelbach, general manager of the Turtle Hospital. “To be able to take a reproductive male and rehabilitate him in less than two weeks’ time, and return him to his ocean home, this is a high for all of us; this is why we do what we do.”

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