{"id":197190,"date":"2026-02-27T23:16:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T23:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/197190\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T23:16:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T23:16:11","slug":"porkchop-the-three-flippered-sea-turtle-returns-to-the-wild-after-major-rehab-press-telegram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/197190\/","title":{"rendered":"Porkchop, the three-flippered sea turtle, returns to the wild after major rehab \u2013 Press Telegram"},"content":{"rendered":"

After nearly a year of recovery, Long Beach\u2019s Aquarium of the Pacific has returned Porkchop \u2014 a green sea turtle with just three flippers \u2014 back into the wild.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a long journey for Porkchop, whose sex and exact age is unknown, after the turtle was rescued from the San Gabriel River in March.<\/p>\n

A group of dedicated volunteers participating in the aquarium\u2019s Green Sea Turtle Monitoring Project \u2014 which gathers crucial data that\u2019s used to build out scientists\u2019 understanding of the species\u2019 behavior<\/a>, the health of the larger ecosystem they occupy and more \u2014 spotted the injured creature during one of its weekly monitoring sessions.<\/p>\n

The volunteers noted that the turtle was stuck in the river because one of its flippers had been tangled in fishing line and other debris so badly that it couldn\u2019t swim away.<\/p>\n

\"Porkchop,<\/p>\n

Porkchop, a three-finned sea turtle that was rescued and rehabilitated by Aquarium of the Pacific veterinarians, swims in the San Gabriel River in Long Beach on Friday, February 27, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Aquarium<\/p>\n

Aquarium of the Pacific staff release Porkchop, a three-finned sea turtle that was rescued and rehabilitated by aquarium veterinarians over the past year, into the San Gabriel River in Long Beach on Friday, February 27, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Onlookers<\/p>\n

Onlookers watch as Aquarium of the Pacific staff release Porkchop, a three-finned sea turtle that was rescued and rehabilitated by aquarium veterinarians over the past year, into the San Gabriel River in Long Beach on Friday, February 27, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Aquarium<\/p>\n

Aquarium of the Pacific staff release Porkchop, a three-finned sea turtle that was rescued and rehabilitated by aquarium veterinarians over the past year, into the San Gabriel River in Long Beach on Friday, February 27, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Porkchop,<\/p>\n

Porkchop, a three-finned sea turtle that was rescued and rehabilitated by Aquarium of the Pacific veterinarians, swims in the San Gabriel River in Long Beach on Friday, February 27, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Aquarium<\/p>\n

Aquarium of the Pacific staff prepare to release Porkchop, a three-finned sea turtle that was rescued and rehabilitated by aquarium veterinarians over the past year, into the San Gabriel River in Long Beach on Friday, February 27, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Aquarium<\/p>\n

Aquarium of the Pacific staff release Porkchop, a three-finned sea turtle that was rescued and rehabilitated by aquarium veterinarians over the past year, into the San Gabriel River in Long Beach on Friday, February 27, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Aquarium<\/p>\n

Aquarium of the Pacific staff release Porkchop, a three-finned sea turtle that was rescued and rehabilitated by aquarium veterinarians over the past year, into the San Gabriel River in Long Beach on Friday, February 27, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

\"Aquarium<\/p>\n

Aquarium of the Pacific staff release Porkchop, a three-finned sea turtle that was rescued and rehabilitated by aquarium veterinarians over the past year, into the San Gabriel River in Long Beach on Friday, February 27, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 9<\/p>\n

Porkchop, a three-finned sea turtle that was rescued and rehabilitated by Aquarium of the Pacific veterinarians, swims in the San Gabriel River in Long Beach on Friday, February 27, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Aquarium staffers were later able to rescue the sea turtle. They brought it back to the aquarium for care \u2014 where they discovered that 90% of the turtle\u2019s front flipper was dead from a lack of blood circulation caused by the fishing line tangle \u2014 and that it had a fishing hook lodged in the back of its mouth.<\/p>\n

The aquarium\u2019s veterinarians were initially unsure whether Porkchop would survive the life-threatening injuries.<\/p>\n

While the aquarium removed the hook from the turtle\u2019s mouth, its flipper was already dead and couldn\u2019t be saved. It was removed at the ball-and-socket joint by veterinary staff and, months later, completely healed over.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey took a year caring for (Porkchop), making sure that (the turtle) was fully recovered and was able to forage and eat and thrive,\u201d the aquarium\u2019s new president and CEO, Jeffrey Flocken,<\/a> said on the banks of the San Gabriel River on Friday, Feb. 27. \u201cThree-flippered sea turtles are not unheard of \u2014 and they\u2019ve been seen at all stages of their lifecycle with three flippers, and seem to do very well in the wild.\u201d<\/p>\n

Porkchop was given extensive veterinary care during its stay at the aquarium\u2019s new sea turtle rehabilitation area, which officially opened for public viewing in January<\/a>. The approximately 4,000-gallon rehab pool, next to the Molina Animal Care Center, plays a crucial role in the aquarium\u2019s ability to grow its sea turtle rescue and rehab efforts, which have been ongoing since 2000.<\/p>\n

And finally, on Friday morning, aquarium veterinarians, leaders and staffers suited up in waders on the bank of the San Gabriel River, chattering excitedly among themselves as they made the final, necessary preparations before Porkchop could be released back to the river from which they\u2019d rescued the turtle nearly a year before.<\/p>\n

Dozens of waterbirds took refuge in the nearby water, basking in the light of the early morning sun, their songs and calls providing the day\u2019s soundtrack.<\/p>\n

After gearing up, Aquarium staffers spent time selecting the right release spot for Porkchop; ensuring the trip back into the wild wouldn\u2019t be too rocky or complicated. Once the spot was chosen, four people carried Porkchop across the rocky terrain, guided by two other workers, until they reached the mouth of the river.<\/p>\n

As soon as its scutes made contact with river flow, the turtle\u2019s\u00a0 excitement was clear. Porkchop splashed its three remaining flippers in and out of the water \u2014 eagerly awaiting its first swim back in the wild.<\/p>\n

And a moment later, Porkchop was free. It swam through the algae-rich river waters, among the many other turtles who have made the San Gabriel River a sort of destination<\/a> for the species in recent years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe release was magical,\u201d said Flocken, who was among the group tasked with carrying Porkchop out to the river over rocky terrain. \u201cIt was a little harrowing getting in \u2014 lots of rocks. But it was really incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a particularly special event for Flocken, as it was his first time participating in an animal release with the aquarium since he joined as the institution\u2019s CEO and president in November.<\/p>\n

Though he\u2019s been a part of other animal releases in previous positions, Flocken said Friday, this was his first time assisting with a sea turtle.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the real excitement here was being able to see this team work. They\u2019re incredible,\u00a0 so efficient, (and) knew exactly what to do,\u201d Flocken said. \u201cIt\u2019s wonderful that we can spread a great message out about rescue rehabilitation and get more people to know what we do at the aquarium. But in the end, the number one thing everyone was concerned about was the welfare of the turtle \u2014 and that\u2019s what I love to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Porkchop, meanwhile, isn\u2019t alone in the San Gabriel River. Though scientists aren\u2019t completely certain about the number that now spend time in the river, they\u2019ve documented hundreds of turtle sightings there each year.<\/p>\n

And just as soon as Porkchop was released, the turtle went and found another of its kind to float with.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Porkchop\u2019s) head popped up a little bit farther down (the river), and there was another turtle right by,\u201d Flocken said. \u201cSo (Porkchop) immediately made a friend, it looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n

The aquarium\u2019s work rescuing, rehabbing and releasing sea turtles back into the wild is ongoing. The new sea turtle rehabilitation area has doubled the aquarium\u2019s capacity to take in and help these creatures \u2014 and now, the Aquarium is raising $50,000 to help support those efforts.<\/p>\n

Donations can be made online at shorturl.at\/g3inF<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After nearly a year of recovery, Long Beach\u2019s Aquarium of the Pacific has returned Porkchop \u2014 a green…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":197191,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[2113,7250,7,131,133,132,137,100],"class_list":{"0":"post-197190","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-long-beach","8":"tag-animals","9":"tag-aquarium-of-the-pacific","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-long-beach","12":"tag-long-beach-headlines","13":"tag-long-beach-news","14":"tag-los-angeles-county","15":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197190\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}