- November 23, 2024
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The University of Florida Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bio-science Sea Turtle Hospital released sea turtle, Cisco Kid, at 10 a.m. on June 20 at the River to Sea Preserve beach, known as Marineland beach.
This was the Sea Turtle Hospital at Whitney Lab's first release of a turtle treated for fibropappilomatosis, which is a disease that causes internal and external tumors to grow on the sea turtle, inhibiting normal functioning.
Cisco Kid, a juvenile green sea turtle, was found stranded on Hammock Beach, on Jan. 29, 2016. Cisco Kid was anemic when he arrived at the hospital, and also had several large fibropapilomatosis tumors.
By April, Cisco Kid was healthy enough for surgery, and a carbon dioxide laser was used to remove the tumors, making Cisco Kid the first patient, at Sea Turtle Hospital at Whitney Lab, to receive such laser surgery.