Sea Turtle Rescued From Power Plant Intake Site Released After Being Nursed Back To Health

SEAL BEACH (CBSLA) — A giant green sea turtle that was rescued three weeks ago is once again back in the warm waters of the Pacific.

The 50-pound turtle was nursed back to health at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach after it was rescued in late July from Morro Bay, a power plant intake site in San Luis Obispo.

“It’s state of health was really good,” Dr. Lance Adams, of the Aquarium of the Pacific, said. “It came in (to our facility) in good condition, so it wasn’t really debilitated that much.”

Adams said the aquarium, known for its expertise in treating and releasing stranded and injured sea turtles, did some standard evaluations on the animal including a physical tag and implanting a microchip to identify the animal should it become stranded again. But luckily the aquarium said it didn’t find any major health problems.

So, after a few weeks of what the aquarium called “free restaurant-quality seafood” in a lighthearted tweet, the turtle was released at the mouth of the San Gabriel River in Seal Beach. The aquarium said that location was chosen because it is a common migratory habitat for the species.

This morning our staff released a rescued green sea turtle! Rescued in Morro Bay, this 50-pound turtle was brought to the Aquarium of the Pacific in late July for a medical evaluation because of our expertise in treating and releasing stranded and injured sea turtles. pic.twitter.com/Q9qoqQ99sv

— Aquarium of the Pacific (@AquariumPacific) August 16, 2019

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