Mesa Verde is a juvenile green sea turtle who was found floating near Cedar Key, FL on March 9, 2023.
On Thursday, July 6, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, released a green sea turtle, Mesa Verde, back into the wild on Pine Island after almost four months of rehabilitation.
Upon intake, Mesa was underweight with a heavy load of epibiota and minor fibropapilloma tumors.
After a course of medications and a healthy diet, Mesa was ready for tumor removal surgery where one small eye tumor was removed.
The surgical site has healed nicely and Mesa has been cleared for release by both our veterinarian and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and has returned home!
All marine turtle footage taken in Florida was obtained with the approval of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) under conditions not harmful to marine turtles. Footage was acquired while conducting authorized conservation activities pursuant to FWC MTP-23/24-172.