Endangered sea creature found on dirt road a mile from open water, Florida rescuers say

Two passersby encountered a “mystery” on a rural dirt road — an endangered sea creature over a mile from the water in Florida.

They reported the stranded green sea turtle to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and now the newly named Buckley is rehabilitating at The Florida Aquarium in Apollo Beach outside Tampa.

“Buckley being found over a mile away from the ocean on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere in a rural area is not normal for sea turtles,” said Ashley Riese, The Florida Aquarium Sea Turtle Conservation Program Director.

The turtle must have made a “harrowing journey from the ocean” to the spot where he was found, and it would have been unlikely for him to return to the sea after that long trip, biologists at the aquarium said.

Fortunately, the people who found the turtle were in the right place at the right time, according to Riese.

Rescuers with the University of Florida traveled to Horseshoe Beach in the Big Bend near the Gulf of Mexico, about an 80-mile drive southwest from Gainesville, and they recovered the turtle before turning the creature over to The Florida Aquarium for further care.

The animal care team determined Buckley appeared to be in good shape, and it expects to release him back into the Gulf of Mexico after further rehab.

Videos shared by the aquarium show the turtle swimming around a tank at the aquarium and eating food thrown by staff.

Green sea turtles are listed as endangered, facing threats from off-shore fishing gear entanglements and beach development that limits their nesting options, biologists say.

Still, many green sea turtles in the western Atlantic Ocean flock to Florida every year to lay their eggs, according to the FWC.

Callers can report a sick or injured animal to the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.

This story was originally published November 15, 2024 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Endangered sea creature found on dirt road a mile from open water, Florida rescuers say."