Tommy Turtle, a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle, was rescued on April 20, 2005 after being caught in plastic debris. The debris had been wrapped around both his front flippers and one rear flipper. The debris prevented Tommy from hunting for food, so he was very underweight. Tommy’s flippers all seem to be working fine now and he just needs to put on a few more pounds prior to his release.

UPDATE: Tommy Turtle was released on September 1, 2005 during a film production for PBS with Fabian Cousteau, grandson of Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Mr. Cousteau was markedly excited to see Tommy returned to the wild. He was released into the Gulf Stream.