JUNO BEACH, Fla. (AP) \u2014 The veterinary staff at a Florida sea turtle hospital is getting help from space to monitor the animals they have rehabilitated. They\u2019re particularly interested in amputees.<\/p>\n
Using satellite tracking devices in a collaboration between the Loggerhead Marinelife Center and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, scientists are learning how well sea turtles can survive in the wild after losing a limb. <\/p>\n
Amelie, a Kemp\u2019s ridley sea turtle who lost her right forelimb to a predator \u2014 most likely a shark, the center said \u2014 was taken to the beach on Wednesday for her highly anticipated release. The turtle paused for about 30 seconds, then slowly made her way into the Atlantic Ocean as onlookers cheered.<\/p>\n
Amelie had been rescued and brought to the center by the Inwater Research Group in Port St. Lucie, Florida, seven weeks earlier after a traumatic amputation. She underwent surgery to clean and close the wound, and was treated for pneumonia while in a tank at the center. When veterinarians deemed her healthy enough to return to the sea, they glued a tracking device to her shell.<\/p>\n
An ultrasound confirmed that Amelie is developing eggs, giving researchers another reason to track her movements. <\/p>\n
Kemp\u2019s ridley turtles, the rarest of sea turtle species, are more typically found on Florida\u2019s Gulf Coast, so treating Amelie was especially significant, said Andy Dehart, the center\u2019s president and CEO. <\/p>\n
Amelie is actually the fourth amputee sea turtle being tracked by the enter, Loggerhead research director Sarah Hirsch said. They include a three-limbed turtle named Pyari<\/a> who has traveled nearly 700 miles since her release in January, her tracker shows.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do know that they can be successful in the wild because we have seen them on our nesting beaches, but we really want to understand their dive behaviors, how they\u2019re migrating once they\u2019re back in the wild,\u201d Hirsch said.<\/p>\n The satellite tags have a saltwater switch that detects when the turtle comes up to the surface to breathe, triggering the transmission of data to the satellites. Their location appears online after a 24-hour delay. To view Amelie and other turtles tracked for various research projects, visit the Loggerhead website<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve been through a lot,\u201d Hirsch said. \u201cThey\u2019ve gotten a lot of medical care here, and to see them be able to go back out and contribute to the population is really rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n