A sea turtle with 3 flippers swims free after Florida rehab, now followed by satellite

JUNO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Cheers rose from a bundled-up crowd as a loggerhead sea turtle that survived a likely shark attack trundled back into the ocean after months of rehabilitation in Florida, carrying a satellite tracker to see how she fares with only three flippers.

The air on the beach was chilly, with temperatures in the 40s Fahrenheit (roughly 4 to 9 degrees Celsius ). But the Atlantic Ocean has hovered around a comfortable 77 F (25 C), said Heather Barron, chief science officer and a veterinarian at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach.

To acclimate the turtle for reentry, the facility kept her tank’s water temperature at around 80 F (27 C), Barron said. Beachgoers snapped photos as the turtle crawled down the sand, the satellite tracker’s long antenna waving in the air, before she disappeared into the waves.

The turtle was named Pyari, a Hindi term of endearment meaning “lovely” or “beloved.” She arrived at the center in November from the nearby Inwater Research Group.

Some kind of predator had tried to make a meal of her, the marine center said in a statement, leaving Pyari with extensive injuries to her neck, shell and both front flippers. That led to the amputation of most of her left forelimb.

“It’s definitely always very gratifying to see these animals go back into their ocean home,” Barron said. “And I think it’s particularly gratifying when you can track them on satellite, and see exactly where they’re going and what they’re doing.”

While those satellite tags are expensive, about $10,000 each, Barron said it’s important to gather data on these three-legged turtles because scientists know very little about how well they do after rehabilitation.

In addition to Pyari, the center is tracking two other amputees, she said. “Every little bit of information helps us to understand the behavior and the success of these animals.”

Follow the journey of Pyari and the other turtles on the center’s website.