NAVARRE BEACH — Ten-year-old Kaleb Needoba couldn’t say for certain what the green sea turtle known as Aaliyah was thinking as she swam into the Gulf of Mexico, but he had an idea.
“She wanted to go into the sea really bad,” Kaleb said. “She was ready to go home.”
Nearly 150 people gathered Wednesday morning at Gulf Islands National Seashore to watch the turtle be released after a fisherman caught it with a hook under the Brooks Bridge in mid-August.
View a gallery of the release >>
Aaliyah was rehabilitated by the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park for nearly a month before she was set free.
“The great thing about the releases is that we can educate people on the fact that even though the animal was just caught with a hook, it’s important to take them to an oceanarium,” said Rachel Cain, the Gulfarium’s turtle coordinator. “Doing releases helps people feel more connected to the wildlife.”
Dave Barker, a member of a local turtle watch group, said watching a turtle being released is a rare and exciting experience.
“You don’t see many releases like this. The species doesn’t really make it to this stage too often,” Barker said of the nearly 12-pound sea turtle. “It’s always uplifting to see an animal rehabilitated and see this many people come out because they care.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.
