{"id":23942,"date":"2011-08-06T09:08:00","date_gmt":"2011-08-06T07:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetsave.com\/?p=23942"},"modified":"2011-08-06T09:08:00","modified_gmt":"2011-08-06T07:08:00","slug":"after-a-13-month-rehab-andre-the-sea-turtle-returns-to-the-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/articles\/after-a-13-month-rehab-andre-the-sea-turtle-returns-to-the-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"After a 13-Month Rehab, Andre the Sea Turtle Returns to the Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a remarkable story that was shared by an internet friend — it’s about an injured sea turtle and the\u00a0relentless efforts of the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Florida.<\/p>\n

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For the past 13 months, Andre, an endangered green sea turtle at the\u00a0Loggerhead Marinelife Center<\/strong>\u00a0in West Palm Beach has been undergoing a rehabilitation program and some medical procedures not often used on animals.<\/p>\n

On June 15, Andre was found on Juno Beach with severe watercraft injuries. Andre’s shell was badly damaged, and there was more than three pounds of sand pressing down on his internal organs \u2013 not to mention a collapsed lung and pneumonia. The outlook wasn’t good.<\/p>\n

But thanks to some incredible work by\u00a0Dr. Alberto Vargas<\/strong>\u00a0of\u00a0Vargas Orthodontics<\/strong>\u00a0in Jupiter, Andre’s shell was repaired using pressure applied by orthodontic appliances. His rehab is complete, and he’ll be returning to the sea.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n