Rehabbed sea turtles released in Collier County

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NORTH NAPLES, Fla. — Two sea turtles were released back into the water Thursday after being treated at the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel.

A green sea turtle was found in October at Barnacle Phil’s restaurant in North Captiva and a loggerhead sea turtle was rescued in November near Cayo Costa, both in apparent ill health. But Thursday, the clinic deemed them healthy enough to crawl off Vanderbilt Beach and into the Gulf of Mexico.

The green turtle had a single small fibropapilloma, a common sea turtle disease that causes tumors on the body that impede vision, mouth and movement, the clinic said. The loggerhead had been unable to submerge in water.

Both appeared to have suffered ill effects from red tide, according to the clinic.

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