Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Dilly Dally, Returns to the Ocean After Amputation
Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Dilly Dally, Returns to the Ocean After Amputation
Dilly Dally, a young loggerhead sea turtle, was released back into the Atlantic Ocean with three flippers after undergoing an amputation following a severe predator attack. The release, which took place on a beach in front of the Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) in Juno Beach, Florida, marks the end of her five-month recovery.
“No dallying here! Dilly Dally is back home,” the LMC, a sea turtle conservation organization, celebrated in a post on social media. “We are so happy to see Dilly back in the ocean safe and sound!”
A video shared by the center showed Dilly Dally swimming effortlessly in a rehabilitation pool, her right front flipper now missing. After being transported to the shoreline, the nearly 160-pound reptile was gently placed on the sand. Dozens of onlookers cheered as she slowly made her way back into the ocean’s waves.
Dilly Dally was first brought to the LMC in January with serious wounds from a predator attack. Three weeks after her arrival, veterinarians performed surgery to remove the damaged limb. Although she faced some complications during her recovery, she has now joined other rehabilitated turtles, including fellow amputee Falafel and a turtle named Scout, in their return to the wild.
To monitor her progress, Dilly Dally, like other turtles treated by the LMC, will be tracked via a satellite transmitter attached to her shell. This technology will help researchers understand her movements and re-acclimation to her natural habitat.
The LMC’s work is crucial for protecting sea turtles like the loggerhead, whose population is endangered and estimated to be around 6.5 million worldwide. These animals and their eggs face persistent threats from poaching, accidental capture by fishing gear, and habitat loss due to climate change and pollution. According to the World Wildlife Fund, three of the seven sea turtle species are classified as endangered, with two of them being critically endangered.
A 2023 study published in the Zoological Society of London’s journal Animal Conservation noted that limb amputation is a common phenomenon in sea turtles. The study confirmed that these creatures are capable of recovering well and adapting to swim effectively after rehabilitation.
The paper also concluded that while female sea turtles with amputated limbs are still able to return to shore to nest, their injuries increase their vulnerability to threats on land during the process. In addition to being a necessary medical procedure, amputations in the wild can also occur from collisions with boats or entanglement in fishing lines.