Turtle returns to sea after months of treatment at Israeli rescue center

Dozens gather to watch as Stitch makes her way back to the water near Tel Aviv following nine months of rehabilitation at Sea Turtle Rescue Center, where she was treated after fishermen found her with hook lodged in her mouth that had caused her lungs to fill up with water

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Home at last! Taking her sweet time, a sea turtle sauntered slowly back to sea on Thursday after months recovering from an injury.
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    • Fishermen found Stitch, a loggerhead sea turtle, off Israel's coast in December with a fishing hook lodged in her mouth that had caused her lungs to fill up with water.
    4 View gallery
    A loggerhead sea turtle makes her way back to sea at the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Palmahim, August 5, 2021     A loggerhead sea turtle makes her way back to sea at the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Palmahim, August 5, 2021
    Stitch the loggerhead sea turtle makes her way back to sea at the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Palmahim, August 5, 2021
    (Photo: Reuters)
    After nine months of rehabilitation at Israel's Sea Turtle Rescue Center, Stitch was released back to the Mediterranean Sea on a sandy beach in Palmahim National Park, south of Tel Aviv.
    4 View gallery
    A ranger helps release a loggerhead sea turtle back to sea at the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Palmahim, August 5, 2021     A ranger helps release a loggerhead sea turtle back to sea at the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Palmahim, August 5, 2021
    A ranger helps release Stitch the loggerhead sea turtle back to sea at the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Palmahim, August 5, 2021
    (Photo: Reuters)
    Dozens of people gathered to watch, clapping and cheering as she strode towards the water.
    When a sea turtle has water in the lungs, it "can develop infection in the lungs, and it takes a lot of time to heal, with antibiotics and a lot of care," said Olga Rybak of the Sea Turtle Rescue Center.
    4 View gallery
    A loggerhead sea turtle makes her way back to sea at the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Palmahim, August 5, 2021     A loggerhead sea turtle makes her way back to sea at the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Palmahim, August 5, 2021
    Stitch the loggerhead sea turtle makes her way back to sea at the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Palmahim, August 5, 2021
    (Photo: Reuters)
    Stitch is now healthy and strong, Rybak said, at an estimated 20-30 years old. Loggerheads can live over 70-80 years and females reach maturity at around 35 years of age, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
    4 View gallery
    A loggerhead sea turtle makes her way back to sea at the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Palmahim, August 5, 2021     A loggerhead sea turtle makes her way back to sea at the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Palmahim, August 5, 2021
    Stitch the loggerhead sea turtle makes her way back to sea at the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Palmahim, August 5, 2021
    (Photo: Reuters)
    "That means she can join the reproductive population of the Mediterranean, so we're really happy we (could) save this turtle, so (she) will generate more turtles in the future."
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