A rare hawksbill sea turtle that was attacked by wild dogs as she nested a month ago on a beach in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, arrived at the Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital Tuesday night.
Weighing 170 pounds, the female turtle was transported for free on an American Airlines flight to Miami International Airport. It was then loaded on to the Turtle Hospital's ambulance to make the trip down the Keys Overseas Highway to Marathon.
"The goal is get her rehabilitated and released back to the ocean," said Micah Rogers, a turtle rehabilitation specialist. "She's a nesting female and that means if we lose her, we're losing every single nest she could possibly make in her lifetime.
"She's a critically endangered animal," Rogers said. "Every single female counts."
St. Croix-based U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials discovered the injured reptile Oct. 10 during a turtle survey in the Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge. Named "Sandy," the turtle sustained serious injuries to her two front flippers and left rear flipper.
The turtle was treated at St. Croix's Island Animal Clinic, but veterinarians there decided to send "Sandy" to the Turtle Hospital, the only licensed veterinary facility in the world exclusively dedicated to treating sick and injured sea turtles.
Officials hope to eventually return "Sandy" to St. Croix.
Courtesy of the Monroe County Toursit Development Council
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