N.B. couple on vacation in Florida Keys help rescue sea turtle | CBC News (2024)

Sam Farley · CBC News

· Posted: Jan 22, 2024 4:58 PM EST | Last Updated: January 22

Canadian snowbirds head south for what they can't get here. The beach, sun, time away from the cold—and sea turtle rescues?

For one New Brunswick couple, that's exactly what happened.

Ida Short and her husband Phil, from Harvey Station southwest of Fredericton, were fishing from a boat off the Florida Keys on Thursday when they noticed some tangled rope and seaweed and went to investigate.

"And as we got looking at it, we thought, 'Oh no, it's a dead turtle.' And then all of a suddenshe lifted up her head. So we knew she was alive," said Short.

WATCH | 'I was scared to death she was going to drown before we got her':

She said they tried to untangle the turtle themselves, but it was so large and it kept trying to swim away.

Because they had vacationed in the Keys for 13 years, Short knew just who to call: the Turtle Hospital.

Located in Marathon, Fla., the turtle rescue and rehab hospitalhas been open since 1986.

"I can't overstate just the help Ida and Phil were," said Bette Zirkelbach, manager of the hospital. She said that many people will call in about a turtle and just leave, but the Shorts stuck around to make sure help arrived.

"If they didn't stay with the turtle, we probably would have never found her again," Zirkelbach said.

It was a tense wait, Short said. Since sea turtles breathe air, it was at risk of suffocation or drowning.

"She kept bringing her head up so she was breathing. I was scared to death that she was going to drown before we got her."

Staff from the turtle hospital were aided by the U.S. Coast Guard to reach the femaleloggerhead in time.

"She had minimal injuries from the trap line, so they must have found her pretty quickly from her entanglement," said Zirkelbach, who estimated the turtle to be about 25 years old, weighingabout 200 pounds.

She said the turtle was given fluids, antibiotics, vitaminsand hadblood workdone. Since it almost drowned, the turtle'slungs were also evaluated.

It was in good enough health to be released by Saturday morning.

In front of a crowd of hundreds at Marathon's Sombrero Beach,the Shorts were invited to help carry the turtle back to the water.

"It was just, I'm sure a full circle moment for them," Zirkelbach said.

"And it never gets time for me either, it's very emotional. Just seeing a big beautiful animal like that go back to sea."

Turtle named in honour of rescuer

But before the turtle could be released, the Turtle Hospital had a special surprise for the Shorts.

In honour of their help, the turtle was named Ida.

"The grandkids have been so excited, and we sent them the videos and they couldn't believe that they named the turtle after their nana," Short saidwith a laugh.

"It's nice. I know I have a turtle out there named after me."

Short said the experienceunderscores the need to protect wildlife.In their time in Florida they've seen pelicans' beaks tangled in rope and manatees with scars from boat propellers.

"Being able to see the sea creatures that are out there and all the plastic and all the ropes ... they're so vulnerable to all that stuff and they get tangled up so easily in it," shesaid.

Zirkelbach said the Turtle Hospital rescues an average of 100 turtles a year, numbers that can increase when cold weather can causeturtles to freeze. And entanglements are a problem.

"So unfortunately, entanglement infishing gear is too common for my taste," Zirkelbach said.

Loggerhead turtles are carnivores, she said, and Ida the turtle was likely just looking for a snack from the lobster trap before itgot entangled in the line.

If the Shorts hadn't found the turtle in time, Zirkelbach has nodoubt about the likely outcome.

"Sadly, it probably would have drowned. And we have seen drowned turtles just within the past six months entangled in trap lines."

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