Fred is a 117 pound Loggerhead rescued September 29th just offshore of Marathon. Fred was found by lobster fisherman and ironically, he is missing his left rear flipper most likely due to entanglement in monofilament fishing line or a trap line. These lobster fisherman may have come back with a bigger catch than expected, but they saved Fred’s life. Sea turtles can survive quite well in the wild with only three flippers but surgery will be necessary to remove the exposed bone and any dead tissue to prevent septicemia. Surgery will be performed by Dr. Doug Mader (Marathon Veterinary Hospital) on Tuesday October 6th to help Fred’s injury heal properly and to prevent infection. Fred is a healthy body weight, active, eating offered squid and antsy to get back out into the ocean!

 (Pictured above, Fred and his missing left rear flipper)

UPDATE November 27th:

Fred was released November 26th from Veterans Park on Little Duck Key! Fred’s rehabilitation lasted only 2 short months at The Turtle Hospital. His surgical sites healed quickly and he was clearly anticipating his return to the sea for the holidays. Turtle Hospital staff released Fred just in time for a Thanksgiving dinner back home!