Turtle saved at Port Canaveral still healing at SeaWorld

An ailing loggerhead sea turtle that was rescued near a Port Canaveral cargo pier continues to recuperate at SeaWorld Orlando — but the reptile still isn't eating on its own, and officials warn of a potentially long recovery period.

Two weeks ago, a tugboat captain spotted a turtle floating in the middle of the cargo docking basin, said Roger Pszonowsky, a Sea Turtle Preservation Society past board chairman.

Then a few days later, on the morning of Aug. 25, Marine Security Officer Anthony Jicha was conducting a security check at the north cargo area when he spotted a large loggerhead on a sandy area adjacent to a cargo pier.

SeaWorld and Sea Turtle Preservation Society volunteers were releasing four rehabilitated sea turtles at James H. Nance Park in Indialantic when port communications personnel called, Pszonowsky said.

Four rehabilitated sea turtles released in Indialantic

He started driving the STPS truck from the park to the port. Meanwhile, Canaveral Port Authority staff, marine security officers and Coast Guard personnel helped keep the loggerhead cool and moist. Jicha built a makeshift lean-to to shade the sickly turtle, and he oversaw a small bucket brigade that poured cooling seawater over the reptile.

The volunteers placed the loggerhead onto a sling, hoisted it over a 4-foot seawall, and placed it in Pszonowsky's truck. Then he drove to Orlando.

"SeaWorld cleaned off the muck and sand, weighed it, and they said it was in tough shape. Even before I left SeaWorld, it was seeing the vets," Pszonowsky said.

The loggerhead suffers from neurological problems, and SeaWorld personnel remain guarded about its prognosis, Dan Conklin, assistant aquarium curator, said Sunday afternoon.

"It could easily be six months to a year," Conklin said of the recovery process.

Roughly 25 percent to 30 percent of STPS strandings occur at or near Port Canaveral, said Dave Cheney, STPS spokesman. Pszonowsky said most of these are juvenile green sea turtles that feed on algae.

Photos: Sea turtles released back into the ocean by SeaWorld

Contact Neale at 321-242-3638, rneale@floridatoday.com or follow @RickNeale1 on Twitter