A red sea turtle, found entangled in a net with visible shoulder injuries and esophageal damage, has returned to the ocean after seven years. During this time, it underwent seven surgeries.
Aqua Planet Jeju announced that the turtle, named 'Lucky,' was released on October 15 at 11 a.m. at Gwangchigi Beach in Seongsan, Jeju, nearly seven years and two months after its rescue.
Lucky was first discovered on August 27, 2019, entangled in a net along the coast of Seongsan. At that time, its left humerus was exposed, and it suffered severe damage to its right shoulder muscles and esophagus. The Aqua Planet Jeju rescue team responded to a request from the Coast Guard and began treatment.
The name 'Lucky' was given due to its survival despite being in critical condition at the time of rescue. Treatment continued after the rescue, including emergency surgery for a ruptured blood vessel, followed by procedures to repair the damaged esophagus and remove necrotic tissue and inflammation from the shoulder area.
As the healing process saw repeated setbacks, the treatment period extended. The medical team employed regular disinfection, negative pressure therapy, and exosome cooling therapy to aid recovery. Lucky underwent a total of seven surgeries, with the last one completed in February.
Following surgery, Lucky participated in wildlife adaptation training. This was necessary to help the turtle, which had lived in a protective facility for an extended period, reduce its habituation to humans and adapt to a natural environment.
Aqua Planet Jeju minimized human contact during training and worked to reduce Lucky's response to feeding signals. The team also observed its swimming and diving abilities in deeper waters, as well as its reactions to surrounding wildlife and environmental changes.
After completing treatment and adaptation training, the National Marine Biodiversity Institute decided on September 29 to release Lucky back into the wild. The release site was chosen to be Gwangchigi Beach, near where Lucky was originally rescued.
On the day of the release, Lucky was guided to move into the ocean on its own, rather than being carried by humans, to minimize stress during the process.
The red sea turtle is designated as a marine protected species by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. It is also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which strictly regulates international commercial trade. This species has been confirmed to breed naturally in South Korea.
Aqua Planet operates marine animal rescue and rehabilitation activities across four facilities in Jeju, Yeosu, Ilsan, and Gwanggyo. Since 2012, it has rescued 11 species of marine animals, including sea turtles and dolphins, totaling around 50 individuals. In the past decade, approximately 300 artificially bred sea turtles have been returned to the wild from Yeosu.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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