Tough sea turtle returned to ocean off Florida Keys

SCI-TECH

Tough sea turtle returned to ocean off Florida Keys

The Associated Press Published Wednesday, August 30, 2017 8:50AM EDT

Staff members from the Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital release "Chuck Norris," a subadult loggerhead sea turtle, off Marathon, Fla., in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary on Aug. 28, 2017. (Cliff Rydell/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)

Text:

MARATHON, Fla. - A tough sea turtle named Chuck Norris is swimming again off the Florida Keys.

The sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle named for the actor and martial artist was released Monday evening.

It was rescued in March off the Lower Keys by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers after it suffered a severe boat strike.

Officers who transported the turtle to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon told staff there "to pick the toughest-sounding name" they could, because the reptile had a lot to overcome to get better.

Chuck Norris was fitted with orthopedic plates to stabilize its shell.

Additional treatment included broad-spectrum antibiotics, vitamins, lactulose and a diet of squid and fish.