Tracking Providencia

Providencia was named in honor of our long standing partnership with Discover the Palm Beaches and the historic connection to the palm beaches. In 1878 the Spanish brig Providencia bound from Mexico to Spain ran aground on what was then known as the lake region. Local residents took the cargo of coconuts as salvage and within a decade the area was filled with palm trees, giving the island a new name – Palm Beach.

Providencia, the turtle, is an adult female loggerhead that was found at the St. Lucie Power Plant intake canal. The turtle was anemic and in overall poor health due to starvation. Interestingly, the turtle had a few eggs remaining in her oviducts which were seen on her radiographs. The eggs were non-viable and Providencia eventually passed all of the eggs. The turtle was initially treated with total parenteral nutrition (TPN) until she began eating on her own. After fully resolving her anemia, Providencia was medically cleared for release by LMC’s veterinarian, 10 months after being admitted to the Sea Turtle Hospital at LMC. The turtle was outfitted with a Wildlife Computers SPLASH tag prior to release so that LMC biologists can track her movements and ensure the successful rehabilitation of the animal.

Final Update 1/3/2020
We have still not received any further transmissions from Providencia. The last location information was received on October 19, 2019, 353 days after the turtle’s release. The turtle was located off of Sarasota, Florida when the last transmission was received.

Update 11/25/2019
The last transmission received from Providencia was on October 15, 2019 when the turtle was located off the coast of Sarasota, Florida. Previously, Providencia’s tag stopped transmitting for a month before picking up again, so biologists are still keeping an eye out for new information from this turtle.

Update 10/23/2019 
On October 5, 2019 Providencia started traveling north. She is now located off the coast of Sarasota, Florida.

Update 9/30/2019
Providencia is still tracking in the same location.

Update 9/16/2019
Providencia is located off the coast of Cayo Costa, Florida. While it appears based on the map that the turtle made a quick trip east to the island of Cayo Costa, this location is actually just an error in the satellite data. The turtle has remained approximately 30 miles off the coast.

Update 8/26/2019
Providencia’s tag started transmitting again on August 20, 2019. Providencia has moved slightly south and is now off the coast of Sanibel Island.

Update 8/9/2019
Providencia’s tag stopped transmitting on July 23, 2019, after one year of tracking. Since Providencia’s tag has gone offline before, researchers are watching closely to see if her tag comes back online. As of July 23, 2019 Providencia was still located off the coast of Manasota Key, Florida.

Update 7/22/2019
Providencia was still located off the coast of Manasota Key, Florida.

Update 7/3/2019
We thought Providencia’s tag would no longer send signals after not having any updates from her since May 15, 2019. However, to our amazement, her tag started sending signals again on June 23. Providencia was still located off the coast of Manasota Key, Florida suggesting that she has been foraging this entire time and did not nest this season.

Final Update 6/7/2019:
Unfortunately, we lost signal from Providencia’s satellite transmitter on May 15, 2019 after 196 days of tracking. The last location placed Providencia off the coast of Manasota Key, Florida.

Update 4/17/2019:
On April 7, Providencia began swimming north reaching as far north as St. Petersburg, Florida. On April 16, Providencia started to head back south and is now located off of Egmont Key. Female loggerhead turtles are currently migrating to their nesting grounds as the start of loggerhead nesting in Florida begins in April. Could Providencia be getting ready to mate and return to her nesting beach to lay eggs? We will have to wait and see.

Update 4/1/2019:
Providencia is still off the coast of Englewood, Florida.

Update 3/11/2019:
Providencia is still off the coast of Englewood, Florida.

Update 2/25/2019:
Providencia remains in the area around Englewood, Florida. She has been in this general location for approximately 80 days.

Update 1/30/2019:
Providencia is still located off the coast of Englewood, Florida. The water temperatures in the area have dropped significantly. We will monitor Providencia closely to see if she decides to move to warmer waters.

Update 1/23/2019:
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI), medium concentrations of Florida red tide (Karenia brevis) have appeared in the coastal waters near Englewood, Florida in the past couple of weeks. Thankfully, Providencia is in an area located far enough offshore where no presence of red tide has been detected. LMC biologists will continue to monitor Providencia’s movements as well as the changing red tide conditions in the Gulf of Mexico.

Update 1/9/2019:
The temperatures are a getting a little cooler where Providencia is currently residing. We will monitor the water temperatures and Providencia’s movements to ensure she is behaving normally.

Update 12/26/2018:
Providencia is now located just north of Fort Myers, Florida, approximately 20 miles NE from Lilly’s location.

Update 12/18/2018:
Providencia is just offshore of Venice, Florida. She is now to the north of where Lilly has been transmitting for the past year and a half.

Update 12/10/2018:
Providencia has traveled a little farther north and is now just 20 miles east of where Lilly has been residing since July 2017.

Update 11/26/2018:
Providencia has traveled nearly 600 miles since her release just under a month ago. She is now off the coast of Cudjoe Key in the Florida Keys. LMC has tracked other turtles to the Dry Tortugas (Captain Jack), the Gulf of Mexico (Lilly), and the Yucatan Peninsula (Elsa). Where do you think Providencia will end up?

Update 11/15/2018:
Providencia is on the move! Providencia continues to travel south along the coastline and is now approximately 7.5 miles offshore of Singer Island. Where do you think she is headed?

Update 11/12/2018:
Providencia traveled north along the coastline, reaching Cocoa Beach on November 8th . The turtle has since turned back south and is currently off the coast of Fort Pierce, Florida. The vast majority of the rehabilitated turtles released from LMC make this northward journey along the coastline before heading to their foraging grounds. We will have to wait and see where Providencia ultimately goes.

Update 11/5/2018:
Since her release, Providencia has traveled north along the coastline. She is now currently located off the coast of Fort Pierce, approximately 7.5 miles north of where she was found stranded.

Update 10/31/2018:
Providencia was released off of Juno Beach on Halloween 2018. We are excited to see where Providencia goes. Stay tuned to follow her travels.