Sep 9, 2009 9:47 am US/Eastern
Gov. Crist Helps Release Sea Turtle In The Keys
MARATHON (CBS4) ―
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Governor Crist helps release a rehabilitated sea turtle off Marathon in the Florida Keys on Sept. 8, 2009.
Florida Keys News Bureau
Governor Charlie Crist helped release a sea turtle named "Margarita" back into the wild after being treated for injuries in the lower Florida Keys Tuesday.
The 278-pound endangered Green turtle, which has spent the last three months or so recovering from injuries at the Turtle Hospital, was released back into the sea Tuesday afternoon.
Crist, along with Monroe County Commissioner Mario Di Gennaro and staff members from the Turtle Hospital carried "Margarita" to the water off Little Duck Key near mile marker 40, just west of the Seven Mile Bridge.
U.S. Coast Guard personnel found "Margarita" entangled in a crab trap line about two miles off Key West's Mallory Square on May 30th. The turtle's left front flipper was severely damaged.
Once the turtle arrived at the hospital, a veterinary surgeon operated to remove the mangled flipper and the turtle remained at the facility to convalesce. Turtles missing flippers have no problem surviving and even mating and laying eggs, according to Ryan Butts, the hospital administrator.
Located in Marathon,
The Turtle Hospital, which opened in 1986, is the only licensed veterinary hospital in the world dedicated to the treatment of sea turtles.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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