Injured Green Sea Turtle Rescued & Brought to CROW

Photos by Susan Miller | Yesi Olvera, Sea Turtle Monitor loading up the injured Green Sea Turtle aided by a regular beach walker.

October 18 was just another Sunday at the beach—not quite. It was a busy day for the rescue volunteers which started with a reported injured sea turtle on Marco’s beach. Further to the north, six stranded manatees also needed immediate attention.  

According to Yesi Olvera, Sea Turtle Monitor for Collier County, it was a juvenile Green Sea Turtle and it was eventually taken to the Center for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) on Sanibel Island. It showed an injured carapace from a boat propeller. CROW will assess the injury and if they are able to rehab it; people can log on to their website and read about any update. 

Sarah Norris, from Rookery Bay’s Sea Turtle Program, picked up the injured Green Sea Turtle and took it halfway to Sanibel. She was met by CROW volunteer Tim Thompson. 

Green Sea Turtles are an endangered species around the world and they still nest in increasing numbers on Florida beaches. The name can be confusing as the Green Sea Turtle’s carapace—the top portion of the shell—is not actually green. They are named that for the green-colored body fat attached to their lower shell, the key ingredient for the once–popular green turtle soup. 

They have smaller heads for their body size than the bulky looking loggerheads. They face many threats both on land and sea. The main threat at sea is entanglement in fishing gear and monofilament fishing line, nets and crab trap lines. 

The Green Sea Turtle is protected as an Endangered species by the Federal Endangered Species Act and is Federally designated as an Endangered species by Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species Rule and by Florida’s Marine Turtle Protection Act. 

If you see an injured animal, please report the incidents online or call 888-404-3922. For cellphones, also call *FWC or #FWC or send a text to Tip@myfwc.com.