Loggerhead turtle released off into Gulf after laying eggs on Anna Maria Island beach
About 100 people came to Coquina Beach on Monday morning to see a nesting female loggerhead sea turtle get her satellite tag and cheer her release into the ocean.
The public event began when the sea turtle, named Esther, had a satellite transmitter glued to her shell at 6 a.m.
Dan Evans, senior research biologist at The Sea Turtle Conservancy, said they want to track Esther to find out where she goes.
“We know that she nests here on this beach, but the question is, where does she go when she’s not nesting?” Evans said.
By looking at the areas where turtles like Esther goes, scientists can better protect the endangered species, he said.
To make the release more educational, Esther will be one of 15 turtles to take part in the 15th annual Tour de Turtles, a “marathon” to see which turtle has traveled the farthest distance in three months.
Jan Riggs has been an Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring volunteer for four years.
She and volunteers walked the beach Sunday night and found Esther and her nest. She was named after competitive swimmer and movie star Esther Williams, who starred in a 1948 movie filmed on Anna Maria Island called “On an Island with You.”
They put her in a large wooden box, which Esther stayed in until her release on Monday.
Riggs said her experiences with the turtles has allowed her to get closer with nature. People want that experience, and that’s why these events are so popular, she said.
Ever since she and her husband found an ad for turtle watch volunteering four years ago, they have been at every event.
She loves driving down the beach in an ATV at dawn and looking for turtle nests, as well as the excitement of looking for hatchings and baby turtles.
“You sort of get a little obsessed,“ Riggs said.
The family event brought Bradenton residents and tourists alike to the beach early Monday morning.
Siri McDonald, a West Virginian resident, is visiting Bradenton for two weeks with her two children. She said her children wanted to see the turtle release after they read the children’s book “Follow the Moon Home,” which features a sea turtle.
At 8:30 a.m., Esther was let out of her wooden box. Attendees lined her path as the turtle made her way to the ocean.
Joshua, a 13-year-old from Bradenton, said the turtle release was different than he expected.
“I wasn’t expecting it to take so long,” he said. “It was surprised that it kicked up a lot of sand.”
To follow Esther’s journey live, go to https://tourdeturtles.org/turtles/
