Ceres was with us for nearly 16 months before returning to the ocean!

Early this morning, we released juvenile green sea turtles Ceres and Shooting Star following successful rehabilitation stints at our Sea Turtle Healing Center.

Ceres was returned to the ocean in Vero Beach, while Shooting Star was released just a few miles away in the Indian River Lagoon.

Ceres, who was admitted to the Healing Center on June 30, 2019, was found at Sebastian Inlet State Park with a head wound, swollen right eye and injured neck muscles; this led to hyperinflation of the left lung and buoyancy issues. This sea turtle was treated with nutritional support, medication, fluids and a specialized weight belt. Chiropractic care was donated by Dr. Ashley Mincey of Wild Life Chiropractic.

Stranding in Port Canaveral on April 6, Shooting Star arrived at the Healing Center with damage to their skull and beak, and a front left flipper attached by just a small piece of skin. Veterinary staff gave Shooting Star “braces” to stabilize the fractures and fed them through a tube. Shooting Star was cleared for release after the fractures regained strength and they could eat on their own.

Shooting Star with “braces” earlier this year.

As you can imagine, both of these patients took an incredible amount of resources to treat. If you’d like to help cover these costs, click here to learn how you can support the Zoo.

All seven of the world’s sea turtle species are threatened by human hunting, entanglement in fishing equipment, marine debris, shrinking beaches, pollution and climate change. If you find a distressed sea turtle in Brevard County, call Sea Turtle Preservation Society at 321-206-0646 or Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC.