Posted May 19, 2016 at 3:19 PM
Updated May 19, 2016 at 4:16 PM
DESTIN — After months of rehabilitation at Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Center, the 110-pound Loggerhead Mars has returned home.
Mars, an adult female was discovered struggling offshore in the Perdido Key area in December. When she came to Gulfarium, she was emaciated, fighting pneumonia and tested positive for red tide toxicity, said Allen McDowell, coordinator of the C.A.R.E program.
She was also missing most of her rear left flipper, which was probably due to an injury several years ago. “She was no worse for the wear,” McDowell said.Gulfarium treated Mars for her pneumonia and gave her time to metabolize the red tide. She’s named after the red planet for the red algae growing on her shell.Thursday afternoon at Henderson Beach State Park she crawled out into the Gulf of Mexico with a couple hundred people cheering her on. One young boy and his mother had all sorts of questions about Mars and sea turtles including how you can tell a sea turtle’s gender. The answer, McDowell said, is that males have longer tales.“I love turtles,” said the boy looking up at McDowell.“I do, too,” he responded.It was the biggest crowd the Gulfarium has hosted for a turtle release. Traffic was backed up and the release was delayed about 45 minutes to allow people to get to the beach, McDowell said he was pleased with the turnout.“It means sea turtles matter to people,” he said. “They’re taking part in conservation.”It’s sad to see Mars go, especially after her long stay, but McDowell was happy to see her swim back to her natural habitat.“She’s going home,” he said.