Sea Turtle Released in the Florida Keys Joins ‘Tour de Turtles’ Race
MARATHON, Florida Keys — A juvenile green sea turtle rehabilitated at the Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital was fitted with a satellite-tracking transmitter and released from a Keys beach Friday to join the 17th annual Tour de Turtles, a marathon-like “race” that follows the long-distance migration of sea turtles over three months.
The educational outreach program is organized annually by the Sea Turtle Conservancy to raise awareness about sea turtles and threats to their survival.
“Roseleigh” (Rose-lee), named by her rescuers after being found floating off Islamorada in March 2024, is swimming to raise awareness about water quality. Roseleigh was treated for a severe case of fibropapillomatosis, a deadly tumor-causing disease that may be linked to pollution in the oceans and nearshore waters.
After a series of successful surgeries and treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics, fluids, vitamins and a healthy diet of greens and mixed seafood, Roseleigh is back in good health and is swimming strongly.
Roseleigh’s rescuer Cindy Wright was on vacation in Africa but returned to the Florida Keys to watch her return to her ocean home.
“We just returned from Africa specifically to see Roseleigh released, and now I’m going to cry,” said Wright. “This is so amazing, we thought she was going to die when we dashed her to the Turtle Hospital, and to see her now, all recovered, is just amazing.”
Wright feels especially good about the fact that Roseleigh now can potentially help increase the population of endangered green sea turtles. “Roseleigh being a girl turtle has the capacity to lay hundreds if not thousands of eggs and help up the population of the endangered green turtles, so that makes her even more special, I think.”
Wight said that when found, the turtle’s condition was dire. “She was in critical condition, bleeding from her right flipper, just covered – the tumors covered her eyes, covered her shoulders, it was so invasive.”
Hundreds of spectators cheered and applauded when Roseleigh swam away from Marathon’s Sombrero Beach into the Atlantic Ocean.
Roseleigh’s progress — and that of nine other hard-shell turtles that have been released to participate in the Tour de Turtles — can be monitored online at TourDeTurtles.org through Oct. 31.
The Turtle Hospital in the Florida Keys has been rescuing, rehabilitating and returning sea turtles to the wild for over 35 years.
Bette Zirkelbach releases “Roseleigh,” a juvenile green sea turtle to participate in the annual Tour de Turtles, an online educational tracking program. Photo: Andy Newman
Cindy Wright cheers as she watches Roseleigh, a juvenile green sea turtle she helped rescue, as the reptile was released off the Florida Keys. Photo: Andy Newman
Roseleigh was in critical condition when found, covered with tumors caused by fibropappilomatosis.