Coral The Sea Turtle Is Heading Home After Months And Months Of Rehabilitation!

February 26th, 2018

.Featured Image Credit: Seattle Aquarium
By Laura O’Brien

An olive ridley sea turtle named Coral began the next step of her journey on the road to recovery this January. Coral was originally found on a beach in Salishan, Oregon; where she was suffering from hypothermia as well as bacterial infections. Although olive ridleys can be found on the Oregon coast, they are usually found in the more hospitable waters near Southern California and further south.

She was taken to the Seattle Aquarium for treatment, where she received care for several months. Once she was ready, experts decided to transport her to SeaWorld San Diego for further treatment.

This January, she was airlifted by the U.S. Coast Guard to a naval station; then SeaWorld staff took her to their Animal Health and Rescue Center. The Seattle Aquarium, as well as SeaWorld, agreed that Coral should be healthy enough to release back into the wild after her treatment is complete; which should be in the late summer or perhaps early fall. Coral is already missed at the Seattle Aquarium.

“It is bittersweet to send her down here to San Diego,” according to a lab specialist named Amy Olsen. “It’s like sending a kid off to college. ‘Okay, go off into the world! Good luck!’” Coral will be saying more goodbyes once she is done with treatment and released back into the ocean, and we couldn’t be happier!

Coral The Sea Turtle Is Heading Home After Months And Months Of Rehabilitation!

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