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Turtle set free on Independence Day
Turtle named Obama was found ill January 19, 2009
Updated: Saturday, 04 Jul 2009, 2:59 PM EDT
Published : Saturday, 04 Jul 2009, 2:57 PM EDT
KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) - A sea turtle named after President Barack Obama that was rescued just before Inauguration Day has been set free on Independence Day.
Obama the loggerhead sea turtle was found ailing off a Key West beach on Jan. 19, the eve of the inauguration. Suffering from an intestinal impaction, the 200-pound female was nursed back to health with a diet of squid and mineral oil at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon.
Turtle Hospital administrator Ryan Butts said the turtle was set free Saturday on a Key West beach as about 100 people watched. He says it was appropriate to give the loggerhead its liberty on the Fourth of July after being rescued at a historic moment.
He says the loggerhead "took off" after being set on the sand and "swam away with all the energy it had."
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