‘Shelly’ the turtle gets some needed help from FWC and Coast Guard rescuers

David Goodhue
·1 min read

Florida wildlife police and a U.S. Coast Guard crew rescued an injured sea turtle off the coast of the Florida Keys Thursday.

The green turtle was about five miles in Florida Bay off Conch Key in the Middle Keys, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission press release.

A recreational boater reported to FWC that the reptile was in distress.

The FWC officer who responded to the call was Bobby Dube, the spokesman for the agency in the Florida Keys. A Coast Guard crew from Marathon assisted the rescue, Dube said.

Dube brought the turtle, named “Shelly” by rescuers, to a shore where a team with the Marathon Turtle Hospital was waiting.

Shelly is expected to recover, but will need treatment on its front flipper, which was caught in a discarded fishing line, Dube said.

Bette Zirkelbach, Turtle Hospital manager, said Friday that Shelly is responding well to treatment, and its estimated age is 50 to 60 years old.