A large loggerhead turtle being rehabilitated at Turtle Hospital in Florida Keys was flown on a private plane Sunday to live in a Texas conservation facility.
The 230-pound female turtle took the nearly five-hour flight from the Middle Keys to South Padre Island, Texas with the help of Turtles Fly Too, a nonprofit group that works with general aviation pilots who keep their planes, fuel and time to provide emergency transportation for endangered species.
Matthew, who was named for one of her rescuers before her gender was determined, suffered injuries to her tank in May 2020 from a boat attack that left her unable to dive and forage – a condition recognized by the Rehabilitation of the hospital was referred to as “bubble butt syndrome” staff.
“She is being transported to Sea Turtle Inc. in South Padre Island because she cannot dive,” said Bette Zirkelbach, the managing director of the Turtle Hospital, who accompanied the reptile during the flight. “That makes her non-releasable and she will act as an ambassador for her species at the Texas facility where she see many visitors.”
The reptile joins other rehabilitated, non-releasable turtle patients at Sea Turtle Inc. in the Gulf of Mexico. The organization’s conservation programs are designed to raise public awareness of sea turtles and the threats to their survival.
Although Keys’ Turtle Hospital’s goal is for each rescued sea turtle to successfully rehabilitate and return to their home in the ocean, the positive buoyancy disorder makes Matthew unlikely to survive in the wild.
Matthew’s shell has been weighted that are designed to stick to the shell and help the turtle submerge and rest comfortably during its stay at the Texas Center.
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