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Tracking Walter the Loggerhead

The release of Walter, an adult male loggerhead sea turtle, was met with great fanfare from a large group of onlookers who were lucky enough to witness his return back into the wild recently on Sanibel Island.

The turtle was reported to the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) Sea Turtle Hotline in early June after he was observed struggling and rolling in the water near shore. SCCF staff, with help from volunteers, rescued the 230-pound turtle and transported him to CROW, The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife. While at the clinic, he received supportive care and treatment for brevetoxicosis, also known as red tide poisoning. This is the sixth sea turtle to be treated and released from the clinic for brevetoxicosis since Jan. 1, 2018.

The turtle was named “Walter” in honor of CROW’s 50th Anniversary and its Founder, Shirley J. Walter.

Walter was selected to be a part of the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s online sea turtle tracking educational program, where a tag will transmit his location via satellite when he comes to the surface to breathe.

Walter is the seventh adult male loggerhead sea turtle to be tagged by Mote Marine Laboratory as part of a study of the turtles’ migratory behavior after release from rehabilitation and recovery.

A group of more than 60 onlookers welcomed CROW, SCCF and Mote Marine Lab staff – carrying the sling containing the 230-pound sea turtle – on the beach located behind West Wind Inn on Sanibel. Placed on the sand about 10 feet from the water’s edge, Walter slowly and methodically used his flippers to crawl into the gulf to the great delight of the spectators. 

According to rehabilitation staff, while the average success rate for marine life treated for brevetoxicosis is between 25 and 33 percent, the wildlife clinic claims an 88 percent rate of success for sea turtles. Dr. Heather Barron, CROW hospital director, suggested that Walter’s prognosis is positive, saying “He’s a very strong, healthy sea turtle. We felt very confident that he would be able to go out and thrive in this environment.”

In addition, Walter will be part of Mote’s broader study of the habitat use and home-range of adult male loggerheads in the Gulf of Mexico. As male turtles do not come back to land after hatching, little is known about their life history, and rehabilitation patients like Walter provide excellent opportunities to learn more about these less-studied adult males.
 
Two more adult males are expected to be added to this study when released — “Intrepid” at Mote’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital in Sarasota, Florida and “Coco” from The Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida.
 
To track Walter’s movements, click here: https://conserveturtles.org/trackingmap/?id=195

 

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