© 2024 WLRN
MIAMI | SOUTH FLORIDA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
In South Florida, where the Everglades meet the bays, environmental challenges abound. Sea level rise threatens homes and real estate. Invasive species imperil native plants and animals. Pesticides reduce the risk of mosquito-borne diseases, but at what cost? WLRN's award-winning environment reporting strives to capture the color and complexity of human interaction with one of the most biodiverse areas of the planet.

Rehabilitated Sea Turtles To Be Released In Juno Beach

COURTESY OF THE BROWARD COUNTY SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION PROGRAM
These baby Loggerhead sea turtles hatched earlier this season on a Broward County beach.

Two sea turtles that were rehabilitated from illnesses are scheduled to be released Thursday morning in Juno Beach.

Tiffany is an adult female hawksbill and Seabastian is a juvenile loggerhead. Staff at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, where the turtles were treated, say they've recovered from infections and anemia.

It's a much-needed piece of good news for some of the oldest creatures on earth. Sea turtles have been around for more than 110 million years, but humans' impact on the environment is making it harder and harder for them to survive.

A red tide algae bloom on Florida's west coast this summer has killed dozens of sea turtles, as well as manatees and thousands of fish. Ocean pollution can make turtles ill -- particularly plastic bags, which turtles sometimes eat because of their resemblance to jellyfish. The number of male sea turtle hatchlings has declined, likely because of hotter nesting temperatures due to global warming and microplastics. And scientists suspect pollution and climate change may be playing a role in a virus that causes sea turtles to develop tumors.

Tiffany and Seabastian are expected to be released from the Loggerhead Marinelife Center (14200 US Highway 1, Juno Beach) at 10 a.m. Thursday.

More On This Topic