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Seattle Aquarium team nurses lost sea turtle back to health

By Associated Press
Published: March 7, 2016, 11:12am

SEATTLE — By the time Tucker the turtle washed up on an Oregon beach, his body had nearly shut down.

Seattle Aquarium spokesman Tim Kuniholm told the Seattle Times that the olive ridley sea turtle had essentially become a piece of driftwood, borne away from the warm waters of Mexico’s Pacific Coast.

Tucker was sent to the aquarium after a beachcomber spotted him. At first, veterinarian Lesanna Lahner wasn’t sure the turtle was alive, but then she pinched his tail. He tucked it in, earning his name.

Lahner and her team slowly warmed Tucker up, helped regulate his breathing and fed him anchovies, shrimp and squid once he regained his appetite.

Next, Tucker needs swimming lessons to correct his buoyancy.

Lahner plans to release him in San Diego at the end of the month.

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