- May 6, 2025
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When the door of the transport truck opened, Monique was flailing in anticipation, making it clear the turtle was ready to return to the ocean.
The loggerhead sea turtle left its companion, Grimm, as Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium staff lowered her from the transport truck and onto a cart. The humans rushed across the beach with Monique, still working her flippers on top of the beach cart.
When they reached the tide line with small waves crashing around the crowd, staff lowered her to the sand. It was Monique's first time seeing the ocean in almost two months.
The turtle was feisty, flailing its flippers in the sand and seemingly ready to touch the ocean.
As soon as the staff lifted their hands, Monique crawled steadily toward the waves and, once deep enough, she swam away.
Cheers erupted from the crowd and Mote staff, all gathered on Lido Beach on April 23 to watch the release of Monique and Grimm, both fully recovered through rehab after being recently rescued.
With the way Monique exhibited strength in swimming, one would not imagine the turtle arrived at Mote almost two months prior in rough shape.
“These are always the great days when we get to send a couple of these turtles home,” said Gretchen Lovewell, the program manager for Mote's Stranding Investigations Program.
Grimm followed her shortly thereafter.
Mote staff followed the same procedure until they reached the water. Grimm needed extra help during the sendoff, so staff carried the turtle into knee-deep water and let Grimm swim away from there.
Again, more cheers.
“It's just amazing to watch them swim off,” Lovewell said. “We've seen them go off strong and feisty in these beautiful waters.”
Opposite to the order in which they arrived at Mote, Monique and Grimm swam away free and healthy.
Monique and Grimm were ready to return to the ocean after spending several weeks at Mote’s rehabilitation center on Ken Thompson Parkway. Red tide toxicity is what brought them to the center.
Grimm was found floating near Sanibel, Florida, on Feb. 16.
Lethargy is one symptom of red tide toxicity, which occurs when marine organisms get exposed to the harmful algae.
Lovewell spotlighted Mote’s collaborative efforts throughout the state which helps bring turtles like Grimm to Mote’s care.
“It's a huge collaborative effort, especially for turtles like Grimm,” Lovewell said. “It's not just us, it's our partners down south.”
On March 6, bystanders found Monique washed ashore near South Siesta Key, exhibiting similar symptoms as Grimm.
Lovewell said whenever Mote receives multiple red-tide-affected turtles in a short period, it can be alarming as they wonder if red tide is getting worse or will impact more turtles.
Luckily, she said, these two turtles made a full recovery.
At Mote, the staff kept Monique and Grimm out of the water for a day or two until they proved they could manage shallow water independently.
After they regained some strength, staff gave the turtles fluids and fat treatments. They moved to larger water tanks, as their condition improved, and kept under observation until they proved ready for release.
Before being released, the Mote staff attached Passive Integrated Transponder tags to each of them, which work similarly to a pet’s microchip. These tags will allow researchers to identify them if found again.
Though red tide is out of the individual’s control, Lovewell said there are things people can do to minimize the risk of harming sea turtles.
For example, Mote promotes a voluntary sea turtle protection zone to encourage boaters to slow down through certain areas.
“We want people to slow down in between New Pass and Big Pass and keep an eye out for our turtles,” Lovewell said.
Mote credits the Sea Turtle Grants Program and organizations like Longboat Key Turtle Watch for continued support of the facility’s rehabilitation efforts through funding equipment and resources.
