When this 200-pound sea turtle found itself in a dangerous situation, it looked as if things weren’t going to end well. Luckily, a group of people happened upon it and quickly decided to help out. What happened next was nothing short of miraculous.
20. Florida
A 200-pound loggerhead turtle got itself into a difficult situation in Martin County, Florida. Believe it or not but this particular area of Florida is actually pretty dangerous for many sea turtles and you won’t believe why.
19. Dangerous Area
Blowing Rocks Preserve in Martin County is surprisingly dangerous for many sea turtles. During nesting season, there are tons of rocks formations that are easy for the turtles to get stuck in.
18. Fantastic Swimmers
Loggerhead turtles are typically fantastic swimmers and have no problem getting around in the water. However, once they’re on land it can be easy for them to become disoriented. It seems that’s what happened to this turtle.
17. They’re Big
Not only do the turtles get disoriented easily on land, but they’re also pretty big! Since they can weigh up to 350 pounds on average, it is easy for them to get stuck in bad areas. This also makes it difficult for rescue teams to help them in time…
16. The Rocks
Getting stuck is exactly what happened to this 200-pound loggerhead turtle. The female turtle had headed into the rock formation, not knowing that it would cause her to flip over when she tried to get out. It was a terrible situation to be in…
15. A Helping Hand
Things were looking pretty bad for the poor female sea turtle. Then, miraculously, a group of people walked by the rock and saw that she was stuck. They decided that they would try to help out.
14. Trap
Rock formations on the beach capture and trap around five sea turtles every year. With this knowledge readily available, many volunteers head out and look for any trapped turtles during nesting season. This turtle, in particular, was very lucky that a group of men saw her just in time. What happened next is amazing!
13. Finding The Turtle
When the group of volunteers first spotted the turtle they covered her up in a bunch of cold towels and water. Since the turtle had been trapped out in the hot sun this was imperative as it would keep her from overheating. But this wasn’t their biggest concern…
12. Heavy
Volunteers attempted to lift her up with just their own manpower, but the turtle was way too heavy to be lifted. They knew that they needed some back-up so they phoned the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for help.
11. Dispatched
The FWC quickly offered to send over some more people that would help out. While the volunteers waited around they made sure that the turtle stayed safe. They wanted to make sure that no rocks hurt or killed the poor trapped turtle.
10. Extra Help
Finally, back-up from the FWC arrived on the scene. All of the volunteers put their heads together to concoct a plan to help rescue the turtle. Finally, they thought of what to do.
9. The Plan
The plan was simple: they would dig out the sand from underneath the turtle and lift her up to place her back on her stomach once again. So the team got to digging. Did their plan turn out successful?
8. Successful
Once the team had managed to get the turtle back on her stomach it was all clear sailing from there on. The turtle began to make her way back into the water where she belonged.
7. Swimming Away
Once the turtle was back in the water she began to steadily swim away. There didn’t seem to be any damage done to her from being trapped in the rock formations.
6. Teaching
The FWC posted about the incident on their Facebook page. They felt that this would be a great learning opportunity for many beachgoers as to how to help out trapped sea turtles.
5. Facebook Post
“Once the female loggerhead was flipped over and lifted out, she quickly crawled back into the water and swam off like a champ. This is a good reminder of how you can help nesting sea turtles by filling in any holes that you dig in the sand.,” the FWC wrote on their Facebook page.
4. Protecting Them
There have been a ton of efforts done to help out loggerhead turtles during nesting season. Some of these efforts include declaring 88 beaches “critical habitat” for the species.
3. Coast Guard
Even the Coast Guard has gotten involved in helping out the poor loggerheads that get trapped in bad situations. The Coast Guard managed to rescue 200 turtles when they had gotten trapped in cold ocean currents on the North Carolina coast.
2. Wonderful Volunteers
Thanks to these wonderful volunteers another sea turtle’s life has been saved. Their dedication to looking out for sea turtles has paid off in the best way.
1. Living On
Now this beautiful loggerhead sea turtle can continue living on her life swimming in the ocean. This was a truly miraculous rescue for her!