(CMR) A large nesting female turtle was rescued Saturday afternoon from a pool on the northern end of Seven Mile Beach after some observers noticed her swimming in the pool around 2:00 pm. She was rescued by a number of Department of Environment (DOE) employees and turtle rescue workers.
The two friends who saw her from a balcony up above said they were surprised from their angle they able to clearly see her but she was quite large and swimming at the time. They shared:
We are happy to have discovered her in the pool.
The rescuers were able to extract her from the pool after giving her a thorough check-up. She sustained minor injuries to her shell likely obtained when she fell into the pool. She was then guided back into the ocean where she safely swam off. They also marked the area where she laid her eggs and will be closely monitoring their progress. It takes anywhere from 50-60 days for green turtle eggs to hatch and return to the ocean.
[modula id=”20231″]
It is likely that the adult female got disoriented while laying her eggs overnight and ended up in the pool instead of the ocean. She is estimated to be around 30-40 years old and weighed between 350-400 lbs. Apparently this is the second time that a turtle has been found in that particular pool.
Residents and visitors alike are always reminded to be on the lookout for these gentle ocean giants during the nesting season.
This condo turns off the exterior property lights at night which are known to distract and confuse turtles who use the moonlight as a guide to return to the sea. DoE shares on its website some important information on the endangered species:
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid