JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga., Nov. 21 (UPI) -- A green sea turtle convalescing in Georgia after being struck by a boat in Florida will soon be taken to a new home in Arizona, officials said.
Ziva, being treated at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Georgia's Jekyll Island, sustained injuries that prevent her from returning to the open ocean, The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union reported Monday.
When recovered, veterinarians said, the female juvenile turtle will be sent to a new home in the Arizona Sea Life Aquarium.
"She will be permanently a captive but she will be a great ambassador for her species," Sea Turtle Center veterinarian Terry Norton said.
"She will be the first sea turtle in the state of Arizona."
Ziva's injuries prevent her from swimming in a normal manner, Norton said, because one lung only partially inflates, causing her to list to one side.
To compensate, the Turtle Center staff glued Velcro strips to her shell to attach weights as counterbalances.
"It allows her to swim normally," Norton said.
