By DINA ARÉVALO
Port Isabel-South Padre Press
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
For Sea Turtle, Inc. volunteer Debra Cadena, her first opportunity to release a sea turtle into the Laguna Madre was an especially poignant moment. She smiled as she held her turtle, Clifford, up for the children who were watching from the railing of the Double Sunshine’s upper deck before kneeling to set the turtle free in the water. Afterwards, another volunteer hugged Cadena as she sat on a bench at the back of the boat wiping tears from her eyes.
Gathering herself, she explained she had named the rehabilitated turtle Clifford after her late father, who died about five years ago. “When he passed, I didn’t get to say goodbye,” she said. “This (release) was a double meaning. I got to say goodbye,” she said.
The turtle, a juvenile Atlantic green sea turtle, was one of seven released by staff and volunteers from Sea Turtle, Inc., a rescue group that takes in injured or ill turtles and rehabilitates them before returning them to the wild. Each of the turtles released Wednesday were juveniles under five years old, said staff member Kat Lillie. Some of them had only been held for a few weeks. “A couple had boat strike wounds, a couple got caught in nets,” Lillie said. One turtle had been discovered by a shrimper at the bottom of his net. He turned the entire net inside out to rescue the turtle, said one volunteer as the turtle was carried around the deck for passengers to see.
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