COCOA BEACH, Florida — A 370-pound sea turtle has been released back into the Atlantic Ocean after three months of rehabilitation in Florida.
Officials with the Brevard Zoo released a male loggerhead sea turtle named Bubba in Cocoa Beach on Wednesday afternoon.
Biologists with Inwater Research found Bubba on April 10 in St. Lucie County, officials said. After noticing injuries to both of his front flippers, they used a crane to pull him out of the water and into a transport box in their pickup truck to take him to the zoo.
A preliminary examination indicated that Bubba was likely injured by a predator. The sea turtle also suffered from an intense infestation of sea leeches, which caused anemia.
Biologists estimate that Bubba is between 60 and 75 years old.
