Green sea turtle Judge TP returned to the ocean after three months in care at the Magnetic Island Network for Turtles
A Green sea turtle who was found floating in the Ross River has been released back into the ocean after being nursed back to health.
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A GREEN sea turtle who was found floating in the Ross River has been released back into the ocean after being nursed back to health.
The Magnetic Island Network for Turtles returned Judge TP (pictured) to the wild over the weekend after she was found in October unable to swim to feed on seagrass.
Judge TP was released on the beach at Base Backpackers Magnetic Island in front of more than 100 onlookers on Saturday. Co-ordinator Paul Groves said Judge TP had undergone three months of rehabilitation including vitamin shots and hydration therapy.
“She had ingested a couple of fragments of a balloon which had caused an intestinal blockage leading to a condition called floaters syndrome,” he said.
“I was moved by the turnout of the community. A lot of people were sad to see her go but it is nice to see a success story and have a turtle recover to be set free.”
It took two weeks for Judge TP to pass the balloon fragments and it was estimated she could have been floating for up to two months from the algae build-up on her shell.
Chief medical officer Britt Mcalees joined the network four months ago and cried when she saw Judge TP disappear beneath the waves.
“It is hands down the most amazing experience I have ever experienced in my 16 years of nursing,” she said.
Originally published as Green sea turtle Judge TP returned to the ocean after three months in care at the Magnetic Island Network for Turtles