Abandoned fishing gear leads to deaths of 2 loggerhead sea turtles at Brevard Zoo, officials say

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - Two Florida loggerhead sea turtles have been humanely euthanized after suffering irreparable injuries from "ghost gear" and derelict fishing equipment. A third turtle is fighting to recover following a flipper amputation in hopes of returning to the ocean. 

Now the Brevard Zoo is raising awareness to prevent any further harm to marine life. 

What we know:

Three loggerhead sea turtles – Sophia, Liberty and Falafel – were transported to the East Coast Zoological Foundation’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center at Brevard Zoo after being injured by fishing gear. 

However, the severity of the gear-induced injuries forced officials to make the difficult decision to say goodbye to Sophia and Liberty.  Falafel is recovering and is making "guarded progress," the zoo reported. 

Zoo officials said they said goodbye to prevent the turtles' suffering. 

Sophia: The 140-pound sea turtle 

Sophia arrived at the rehabilitation center in May after being found stranded in the Indian River Lagoon. The 140-pound turtle had a fishing line attached to a hook sticking out of her mouth and about 18 more hooks lining her digestive tract, the zoo said. 

It's believed Sophia frequently swam to local fishing spots to grab an extra snack and ingested several fishing hooks in the process, the zoo reported. 

The Brevard Zoo worked with an Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital gastroenterologist to save Sophia, hoping she'd be able to return to the ocean. However, after another surgery to retrieve more hooks from her body, doctors learned Sophia's gastrointestinal tract had been irreparably damaged. 

Liberty: The 210-pound adult loggerhead

Liberty came to the Brevard Zoo's rehab center during Fourth of July weekend. The 210-pound adult with eggs had presumably previously survived a boat strike as doctors noted healed propeller marks on her carapace. 

When Liberty arrived, she had a braided fishing line wrapped around her neck and front flippers, the zoo said. The fishing line was also wrapped around a dead turtle. 

The zoo's team worked to salvage both of Liberty's flippers, but the damage was too extensive for her to be able to return to the ocean, zoo officials said. 

Falafel: Making progress

Much like Liberty, Falafel was also found with fishing line wrapped twice around its front left flipper. The wire was constricting blood flow while an abandoned net – which the zoo referred to as "ghost gear" – was entangled around Falafel. Doctors determined it was necessary to amputate a flipper. 

Falafel is making "guarded" progress, zoo officials reported, planning to return the turtle to the ocean after recovery. 

What you can do:

Brevard Zoo encourages community members and beachgoers to help protect marine life.

• Leave the pier, beach, or river cleaner than you found it – even if the trash or debris you find is not yours.
• Consider not fishing if you see a sea turtle near a fishing pier or other area.
• If you happen to spot derelict fishing gear while scuba diving or snorkeling, please consider removing it and disposing it properly.
• If you are not a diver, please consider supporting your local dive club’s volunteer clean-up dives.

"By taking these steps to reduce our negative impacts on our world on behalf of sea turtles, we actually help more species, including ourselves, to live in a safe, cleaner environment," zoo officials said.