Sea turtle dies after being rescued by Sarasota police
Just five days after Sarasota police officers rescued a loggerhead turtle off the coast of Siesta Key, it has died.
Sarasota Police Department announced the news about Trippi on social media.
While the cause of death is still unknown, the turtle had been found on April 5 sluggish but responsive as members of the Sarasota police dive team pulled it on their boat. Trippi, named after Officer Tripp Schwenk who had spotted the 108-pound turtle in the water, was covered in algae, a sign that it hadn’t moved much in a while.
“It was in very critical condition, and often times those cases are the hardest,” said Kaitlyn Fusco, Mote spokeswoman.
A necropsy is planned for Tuesday, but Fusco added that determining an exact cause of death is not guaranteed.
Hannah Morse: 941-745-7055, @mannahhorse
If you see an injured or dead sea turtle, dolphin or whale...
- ...in Manatee or Sarasota county waters, call Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program at 941-988-0212;
- ...outside of Manatee or Sarasota county waters, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline at 1-888-404-3922.
This story was originally published April 10, 2017 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Sea turtle dies after being rescued by Sarasota police."