A very special public turtle release Friday, August 15th at 1:00 pm Sombrero Beach

Hi there! My name is Pine Tyme, and I’m an 80 pound sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle who was found floating, unable to dive near Big Pine Key, Florida Keys, Florida. Luckily, I was spotted and named by a couple of Big Pine Key residents that were out surveying islands for mosquito control. They hauled me onto their small boat and took me to The Turtle Hospital where I’ve been receiving excellent care. The great doctors at The Turtle Hospital took some x-rays of me that showed a lot of gas in my intestines but no other injuries or problems. For the past several months, they’ve been treating me with broad spectrum antibiotics, lactulose, beano, vitamins, and a healthy diet of fish and squid. Boy, do I feel so much better now! Now that I am all healed thanks to my dear friends at The Turtle Hospital, I will be ready for my release from Sombrero Beach at 1:00 p.m. on August 15th. It is important that I swim in the Tour de Turtles marathon to raise awareness about a major threat to sea turtles: boat strikes. Many of my new turtle friends at The Turtle Hospital had been injured by boat strikes. As we all know, turtles require air to breathe. They can hold their breaths for a long time but often, when they come back up for air they are in danger of getting hit by carelessly driven boats or jet-ski’s. Shell injuries are very serious and at times, can cause the death of a sea turtle. As long as boats follow speed limits and water safety laws when operating any water vehicle, we can help keep turtles, and all marine life, safe! Now that I’m feeling better, I will be released on August 15 from the Turtle Hospital off of Sombrero Beach, Florida Keys, Florida. I hope everyone will root for me during the Tour de Turtles marathon! You will be able to track my progress in the wild by following the link on the Tour de Turtles website  http://www.tourdeturtles.org/  .  See you there!