Rehabilitated Sea Turtles Released Back Into Ocean in Quintana Roo

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Shortly after sunrise Friday, four sea turtles — three greens and one loggerhead — returned to their natural habitat after spending months at Grupo Xcaret’s marine wildlife hospital in Quintana Roo, where they received medical treatment to go back to the ocean in better condition.

The medical and technical team celebrated the success of a months-long rehabilitation process, underscoring the importance of wildlife conservation and rescue efforts in the region.

“These are four sea turtles that arrived at the hospital on different dates and for different reasons,” said Danielle Erin Leeman Suastegui, a veterinary medicine specialist. “We have one that suffered a propeller strike — well, we aren’t sure, but we believe it was struck by a boat. Another, a loggerhead, was found with a net wrapped around one of its front flippers, which was causing a contusion. We removed the net and gave it rehabilitation.”

Leeman Suastegui said another turtle underwent surgery to remove fibropapilloma tumors, and yet another was treated for a suspected hook in its mouth.

For the release, the turtles were taken by boat under the supervision of Profepa (Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection) personnel. The agency receives vulnerable animals and decides where they should be sent for rehabilitation, then follows their medical care until they are reintroduced into the ecosystem.

Before returning to the water, staff members make sure each turtle takes deep breaths to ensure its lungs are ready, and they monitor the animals to confirm they can submerge and swim on their own. The veterinarians guide the turtles to the edge of the boat and give them a final push into open water — an emotional moment marked by the turtles’ enthusiasm and the caretakers’ bittersweet farewell.

The rehabilitation protocol at Xcaret includes physical exams, blood samples and X-rays to diagnose the animals. Average recovery periods range from six months to nearly a year, during which veterinarians and university interns focus on daily care and constant cleaning.

Leeman Suastegui said the causes for admission are frequently linked to human activity, including boat propeller impacts, fishing nets, attacks by feral dogs in coastal areas and the ingestion of trash. Without medical intervention, survival for these animals would be almost impossible, she said.

She urged the public not to handle turtles in any condition and to report any findings to authorities to avoid accidental harm.

“It’s a great effort by the doctors and all the people dedicated to caring for and rehabilitating them. This is the result we always want,” she said, and she invited everyone to help keep the oceans clean and continue working to protect marine biodiversity from current threats.