JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mother Nature welcomed back one of its endangered species on Thursday, a green sea turtle named Stormy.
The Georgia Sea Turtle Center said Stormy washed up on Huguenot Park nearly three months ago in critical condition.
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Stormy was found by a park ranger in late April after washing ashore during a storm, hence the name Stormy.
Jamie Gamby with the Georgia Sea Turtle Center is a part of the team that helped nurse Stormy back to help.
“She wasn’t doing really great out in the wild, she was very lethargic, she had some mild case of epi-biota which is the barnacles living on her shell and she had some poor blood work,” Gamby said.
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But after weeks of rehab, antibiotics, and some good seafood, Stormy was released back into the Atlantic Ocean this morning at Little Talbot Island State Park. Gamby said it was an honor to bring Stormy home.
“It’s extremely important to save endangered species because once they’re gone, they’re gone,” Gamby said.
At this time the Georgia Sea Turtle Center Staff hope that one day Stormy will become a reproducing female to help boost the green sea turtle’s population. The key word there is hope. That’s because it’s unclear what Stormy’s gender is because you can’t tell a sea turtle’s sex externally while still at a juvenile stage.
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“So, for males their tail will stick out significantly longer than their top shell whereas females will be shorter,” Gamby said.
Gamby said they have also microchipped Stormy so they can forever keep track of her and her progress.
“It’s wonderful to know that we are playing a part in conservation,” Gamby said.
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