On May 4, a going-away party fit for a sea turtle will celebrate a new beginning for 3 1/2-year-old Caretta.
The 30-pound loggerhead turtle, who has lived at John D. MacArthur Beach State Park since November 2009, will be released just south of the Sebastian Inlet the following week.
She recently reached a shell length of 45 centimeters, making her large enough to survive in near-shore waters, said Lu Dodson, park services specialist at MacArthur Beach State Park.
“She’s too big for most things to eat,” Dodson said.
Caretta, one of two loggerhead sea turtles residing at MacArthur Beach State Park — Shelldon, a 1 1/2-year-old male, is the other — arrived at the park as part of a state-licensed study conducted by biology professor Jeanette Wyneken at Florida Atlantic University.
MacArthur Beach State Park is permitted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to hold up to three loggerhead turtles a year for the purpose of public education, Dodson said.
For the past 3 1/2 years, Dodson and her staff have cared for Caretta, preparing her for her upcoming release.
To ensure she would be able to survive in the wild, park staff helped stimulate Caretta’s natural feeding behaviors and provided her live prey such as crabs, sand fleas and shrimp.
“Turtles are very instinctive animals,” Dodson said. “She has exhibited all the characteristics that you like to see. I think she’s got her turtle skills in place for going out into the wild.”
Before she leaves, however, Caretta will preside over her own going-away party.
The event, which is open to the public, will be held in conjunction with the park’s F.U.N. (Families Understanding Nature) program.
Participants will learn about sea turtles, play turtle-related games and have the opportunity to say goodbye to Caretta. Light refreshments also will be served. Admission is free with $5 park entry. For information, visit www.macarthurbeach.org.
The party also will kick off turtle nesting season, which runs from March through October. Last year, MacArthur Beach State Park had a record-breaking season with more than 1,900 nests along its 1.6 miles of beach.
Caretta will be missed at MacArthur Beach State Park, Dodson said, but is expected to thrive in the wild.
“I think she’ll do well,” Dodson said. “We’ve loved having her here.”
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