Sea turtle not ready to return to ocean

Five months after the first phase of his trek from the world's largest aquarium to his native home off the Georgia coast, Dylan the sea turtle is taking his time finishing the journey. Veterinarians at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island say Dylan, a 7-year-old loggerhead who weighs in at about 140 pounds, is still playing with his food and not showing enough skill at hunting to live free.By now, they'd hoped to have him ready to return to the waters off Jekyll Island, where he was rescued as a hatchling straggler left behind by his nest mates. But with fall approaching, bringing colder water, it may be next year before they release him into the wild."If they don't get him out by October, which doesn't look like it's going to happen, they'll have to keep him until spring," said Dave Santucci, a spokesman for the Georgia Aquarium.Staffers at the aquarium and turtle center refer to Dylan as a male, although they can't really be sure. It's nearly impossible to know a sea turtle's gender until it reaches adulthood, which may take 30 years.After Dylan was rescued on Jekyll, he lived at nearby Tidelands Nature Center.But he quickly outgrew his surroundings and was sent to the Georgia Aquarium, where he became a popular attraction and, aquarium officials say, an ambassador to help teach people about the man-made dangers sea turtles face in the wild.Loggerhead sea turtles like Dylan are classified as a threatened species. Seven other varieties of sea turtles are endangered.After a couple of years being hand-fed squid, shrimp, crab and other seafood, Dylan grew too big for his habitat at the aquarium too, leading veterinarians to load him into the back of a van for the 6-hour ride south to Jekyll.At the center, where injured or abandoned sea turtles are cared for, scientists have worked to decrease Dylan's level of human contact and teach him to hunt for and eat live prey."He's definitely made some improvements but he's not where we're comfortable yet that he'd be able to find and eat enough natural prey," said Bill Irwin, director of the turtle center. "He has eaten a few live crabs, but his preference at this point is still for dead fish."Scientists had hoped to have Dylan ready for a return to the sea as early as July, but acknowledged when he was moved that they weren't really sure how long it would take."It's real balancing act to wean him off of the unnatural food but still feed him sufficiently," Irwin said. "We don't want to starve him into eating the natural prey items — we want to slowly make that transition from one to the other."Since opening in June, the center has treated 9 sea turtles and dozens of other animals, including diamondback terrapins, brought to them for care.Currently, one other sea turtle, Bev, is being treated there for a condition that has made it difficult for her to open her mouth and eat.When Dylan is finally released, the center will attach a tracking monitor to his shell, allowing staffers, as well as visitors to the Georgia Aquarium's web site, to track his movements.Because so few turtles have been released after growing up in captivity, Irwin said scientists can learn a lot from how he acts.