At first they thought it was a rock, but as they approached they saw it was a huge sea turtle.
The large reptile had been trapped between two rocks for some time and had given up trying to free itself—its life was nearing its end. Immediate action was necessary.
Volunteers alerted the authorities, and with help from police and firefighters they successfully returned the large sea turtle, a loggerhead, safely to the ocean.
The animal was very weakened. According to the Martin County rescue team, it may have been stuck for hours.
The sheriff’s office explained that the beautiful female turtle had come ashore to lay her eggs and then tried to return to the water via a narrow, rocky path. After a while she grew too weak from her struggles to free herself.
The team worked toward a single goal: to rescue her safely. Thanks to the dedicated rescuers, the mother turtle survived.
When they set her down on the sand, rescuers noticed that one of her four flippers had been injured by the rocks.
They waited until the loggerhead found its way back into the sea. It was an incredibly moving moment and everyone was relieved that the mother turtle was saved.
“The giant sea turtle was successfully and safely returned to the ocean without further incident,” the firefighters wrote on their official website.
