It was the goodbye everyone had hoped for. Timmy, the larger-than-life loggerhead sea turtle...who won the hearts of her caregivers during weeks of rehabilitation, returned to her ocean home Friday in Key West.
Hundreds gathered at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park to see Turtle Hospital staff carry the massive 270-pound turtle to the edge of the water and watch her make her way across the sand and back into the Atlantic.
Timmy was rescued on July 19 after struggling to stay afloat and flailing in the ocean. Boaters found her about seven miles south of Sugarloaf Key and called for help. They stayed with the distressed turtle until a crew from the U.S. Coast Guard arrived. Timmy was then taken to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon for treatment.
When she arrived, she made quite the impression. During the hour-long ride to Marathon, Timmy climbed out of her rescue container and sent equipment flying around the back of the turtle ambulance. That feisty streak continued during her rehabilitation and quickly endeared her to the staff caring for her.
Timmy was treated with fluids and antibiotics and underwent a series of tests. As her health improved, so did her appetite. Squid, mackerel, shrimp and lobster tail were all on the menu. Staff even celebrated when Timmy finally went number two; an important indication that her digestive system was working normally.
When Timmy was strong enough, she was moved into a 160,000-gallon tidal pool, where staff could watch how she swam and navigated deeper water. She passed the test.
Timmy’s rescue wasn’t just memorable. It was important. The giant loggerhead is estimated to be between 70 and 80 years old and still actively nesting. In fact, she had already laid eggs three times this season, including 10 days before she was rescued,
“Seeing a turtle like Timmy that has survived our oceans for so many decades, getting a reproductive female like her returned to her ocean home is most important for the survival of their species,” said Bette Zirkelbach, general manager of the Turtle Hospital.
During her hospital stay, staff shared Timmy's progress with the public. And people from across the globe tuned in to see her every move, including watching her eat, swim and regain her strength. They got to know the old turtle with a big appetite and even bigger personality. They saw her enjoying back scratches and spa days. And by the time she was cleared for release, plenty of people were rooting for her.
Florida Representative Jim Mooney, whose House District 120 includes the Florida Keys, was one of them. And said Timmy's release carried a deeper message for the next generation.
“We have to maintain, through education, how important our environment is, not just for us, but for the future. The little kids that are walking around today, that's what this is about,” said Mooney.
Friday morning, some of that community descended on Key West to see how Timmy's story played out. Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park waived admission fees for the special release, and spectators lined the beach as Turtle Hospital staff carried her toward the water.
For Zirkelbach, the turnout showed how deeply Timmy's story connected with the public.
“Seeing the hundreds of people coming out for Timmy's release today, it warms my heart. And I know that that compassion is contagious. The most important thing we can do to help save sea turtles is to fall in love with them,” said Zirkelbach.
For the team that rescued and rehabilitated her, it was the kind of goodbye they worked so hard for.
Mooney said today’s release confirmed that the place he grew up in still stands to protect our most precious resource. “Having been a ‘Keys kid’ my entire life, and still a ’Key’s kid,’ is to protect the environment. Because I know what the environment means to our tourism, to our tax dollars.”
When Timmy finally reached the surf and swam away from Key West, she went back to doing what she'd been doing for most of the past eight decades…living wild in the sea.
To learn more about the Turtle Hospital, visit TurtleHospital.org.
