The public is invited to watch her be released, rain or shine.
Zoo officials said Opal arrived at the Sea Turtle Healing Center on Dec. 7, after being found floating in a construction zone in Port Canaveral covered in algae and barnacles.
Opal the sea turtle release Opal the sea turtle returned to the ocean on Wednesday weighing double the amount that she did was she was rescued from Port Canaveral seven months ago. (Brevard Zoo)
Opal the sea turtle release Opal the sea turtle returned to the ocean on Wednesday weighing double the amount that she did was she was rescued from Port Canaveral seven months ago. (Brevard Zoo)
Opal the sea turtle release Opal the sea turtle returned to the ocean on Wednesday weighing double the amount that she did was she was rescued from Port Canaveral seven months ago. (Brevard Zoo)
Opal the sea turtle release Opal the sea turtle returned to the ocean on Wednesday weighing double the amount that she did was she was rescued from Port Canaveral seven months ago. (Brevard Zoo)
Opal the sea turtle release Opal the sea turtle returned to the ocean on Wednesday weighing double the amount that she did was she was rescued from Port Canaveral seven months ago. (Brevard Zoo)
Opal the sea turtle release Opal the sea turtle returned to the ocean on Wednesday weighing double the amount that she did was she was rescued from Port Canaveral seven months ago. (Brevard Zoo)
Sea turtle release A young sea turtle named Opal will be released at Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach on Wednesday, July 19. (Brevard Zoo)
Sea turtle release A young sea turtle named Opal will be released at Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach on Wednesday, July 19. (Brevard Zoo)
Sea turtle release A young sea turtle named Opal will be released at Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach on Wednesday, July 19. (Brevard Zoo)
Sea turtle release A young sea turtle named Opal will be released at Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach on Wednesday, July 19. (Brevard Zoo)
Sea turtle release A young sea turtle named Opal will be released at Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach on Wednesday, July 19. (Brevard Zoo)
Healing Center staff said Opal had caryospora, a parasitic protozoan, and was anemic and hypoglycemic.
Officials said Opal was treated with rest, an e-tube to provide nutrition, an anti-parasitic medicine to eliminate the caryospora, and a nebulizer for pneumonia.
Healing Center staff and volunteers said they will remember Opal as a fun little turtle who loved to hide in her tank.
Video: Wildlife crews using artificial intelligence to help track sea turtle population Wildlife crews in Central Florida are using artificial intelligence to help track sea turtles. (James Tutten, WFTV.com/WFTV)
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Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.
