Sea Turtle Release Off Juno Beach Thursday (8/1/19) Morning
Who: Loggerhead Marinelife Center
When*: Thursday, August 1, 2019 at 10:30 a.m.; pre-release procedures begin at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Loggerhead Marinelife Center (14200 US Highway One, Juno Beach)
What: LMC will release Vitti the sea turtle from its facility off Juno Beach.
Vitti is a sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle patient that was found at FPL’s St. Lucie site. The patient’s bloodwork on arrival indicated anemia and hypoglycemia. Vitti was underweight, lethargic and in poor health due to chronic debilitation. The turtle received parenteral nutrition, antibiotics and iron to treat its chronic debilitation. Hospital staff monitored Vitti the sea turtle with routine blood work as it was treated.
Vitti the sea turtle is named in memory of Bitasta “Vitti” Chaturvedi, a devoted and beloved LMC volunteer who started at the Center in August 2010. Vitti generously donated over 700 hours of her time in the seven years she spent at LMC, helping the Development and Marketing Departments with administrative tasks, adoptions, event registration and more.
Vitti was passionate and offered a lot of wonderful ideas to help the center grow. Outside of LMC, she was a highly involved volunteer in all of her daughter’s schools as the treasurer of the PTO for several years and was a devoted and loving wife and mother. Vitti was a well-traveled individual who loved talking about her trips and food from all over the world. Vitti will be truly missed by all who knew her.
Vitti the sea turtle will be prepared for release from LMC starting at 10:00 a.m. LMC docents will convey the history of the turtles’ journey and final preparations to visitors, with a procession to the beach for the release to follow. We recommend arriving early for parking and to find a good spot on the beach.
Members of the media interested in covering the release should contact Carla B. Mroz, public relations and communications manager, at cmroz@marinelife.org or 561-627-8280, ext. 124, to request a media pass.
Local staff will be available for media interviews at their discretion.
*Weather may impact the scheduling of this release. Please check marinelife.org and LMC’s social media channels for updates. Protect yourself from the sun and bring a hat, reusable water bottle, shades and sunscreen.
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About Loggerhead Marinelife Center:
Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) is a nonprofit sea turtle research, rehabilitation and educational institution that promotes conservation of ocean ecosystems with a focus on threatened and endangered sea turtles. The Center features an on-site hospital, research laboratory, educational exhibits and aquariums, and also operates the Juno Beach Pier, which hosts world-class angling and sightseeing. Situated on one of the world’s most important sea turtle nesting beaches, Loggerhead Marinelife Center is open daily and hosts over 350,000 guests free-of-charge each year. The Center’s conservation team works with 90 local and international organizations across six continents to form partnerships and share conservation initiatives and best practices that are core to its mission of ocean conservation. The Center is expanding and has launched its Waves of Progress capital expansion campaign, designed to accelerate and amplify LMC’s conservation and education impact. When complete, the facility will offer one of the world’s most advanced and unique experiences for guests and scientific partners. For more information, visit marinelife.org or call (561) 627-8280.