Saturday, June 13, 2009

Turtle Hospital officials are planning quite the going-away blowout for one loggerhead turtle that swam up to the docks behind the Marathon-based facility in late March.

Florida Keys residents and visitors have been given a public invitation to join in the release of the 73-pound turtle, at 9:20 a.m. Sunday at Veteran's Park on Little Duck Key, Mile Marker 40.

Dubbed "Kincaid," the turtle has reached celebrity status, as the release will be televised live on the national "Fox and Friends" show on the Fox network.

The turtle's walk-in appointment turned into a stay of several months while staff veterinarians treated the lumbering reptile for an internal bacterial infection.

A regimen of antibiotics and vitamins was combined with a diet of raw squid.

"He's getting fat and he's ready to go," hospital Executive Director Ryan Butts said.

At first thinking Kincaid was merely lost, the staff initially waited several hours before treating the turtle when he showed up at the dock of the world's only licensed veterinary facility that treats turtles exclusively.

The federally protected endangered species is known for their large heads and powerful jaws, which allow them to feed on hard-shelled prey such as conch. The species also feeds on fish, crustaceans and other mollusks and marine animals.

Adults grow to an average weight of about 200 pounds. The top shell, or carapace, is slightly heart-shaped, with a reddish-brown color. The outside and under-shell is generally a pale yellowish color.

Nesting season runs from about May through August, with nesting occurring primarily at night. Loggerheads are known to nest up to seven times within a nesting season.

tohara@keysnews.com