A rare 475-pound endangered leatherback sea turtle found stranded on a Georgetown County island beach has been released into the ocean after five days of treatment at the South Carolina Aquarium.
The turtle, named Yawkey, was released Thursday on a wind-swept beach at the Isle of Palms northeast of Charleston.
On Saturday, it took 5 workers to lift the turtle on a beach on South Island and get him to medical treatment at the aquarium.
On Thursday, staffers from the aquarium and the state Department of Natural Resources carried the turtle to the surf in a box after unloading it from the bed of a pickup truck.
The sides of the box were flipped down and, after a minute or two of hesitation, Yawkey moved into the surf as a group of about 75 people cheered.
Aquarium workers who treated Yawkey with antibiotics and fluids said it was important to get the turtle back to the ocean quickly because leatherbacks don’t do well in captivity.
Despite being lethargic, there were no signs of external and trauma and blood work showed Yawkey to be in overall good shape.
Sea Turtle Rescue Program team members are unsure of what caused Yawkey to strand.
