SAN DIEGO — There was no time limit while waiting for Gigi, the green sea turtle, to heal.
Jeni Smith is part of the SeaWorld San Diego rescue team that’s spent the last year caring for Gigi.
“Sea turtle rehabilitation does not happen quickly. Everything with sea turtles does not happen quickly,” Smith said.
One year ago, Gigi was found floating in San Diego Bay, unable to control her buoyancy, which affects her ability to dive and forage for food. She was also missing a front flipper.
Throughout her year at SeaWorld San Diego, the rescue team conducted blood sampling, radiographs, a CT scan and administered medication to alleviate gas in her gastrointestinal tract.
“She’s kind of had some ups and downs but she’s had consistent diving and resting at the bottom of the pool, so it’s a perfect time to return her,” Smith said.
Garrett Lemons is a NOAA biologist who researches sea turtles at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center. He helped pull Gigi out of the water when they found her during fieldwork last year and came to the beach to see her return to the bay.
“It’s always good to see an animal released back to its natural habitat," Lemons said. "It was a year ago, I believe, since we pulled her out of the water. It was a good feeling to see her be released.”
Green sea turtles are classified as endangered due to threats such as habitat loss, pollution and unintended capture in fishing gear. Lemons believes Gigi’s journey shows how important it is for everyone to come together to protect them.
“It takes a community," he said. "There’s multiple partners and multiple people doing multiple things to ensure that these animals have quality habitats and be able to live their life histories and life cycles without major human impact.”
The SeaWorld team made sure the weather and water temperatures were warm enough to comfortably return Gigi before bundling her up for the journey back to the beach off the coast of Coronado.
“We get to finish the job and return her, and that’s always the goal,” Smith said.
The green sea turtle is the largest hard-shelled sea turtle, and they eat mostly seagrasses and algae.