It’s impossible to know what Lourdes was thinking or feeling while waiting in the back of the conservation officers’ truck before her departure, but it was clear the small group of people gathered to see Lourdes off were happy to see her go.

Lourdes, a green sea turtle, was released into the wild Friday.

She was illegally held captive in a swimming pool at home in Talofofo before authorities found her last week.

As soon as Department of Agriculture Fisheries Biologist Brent Tibbatts let go of Lourdes, she quickly disappeared, racing through the murky waters of southern Guam away from the shore.

Tibbatts said they learned the turtle had been in the swimming pool for about five days before she was discovered.

After conservation officers rescued her, she was turned over to biologists for observation.

Turtle was in good health

Tibbatts said the turtle was in good health when they first encountered her.

After a few days under observation at UnderWater World where agriculture staff also collected her weight, size, tissue samples and blood samples, she was ready to be released.

Lourdes was also tagged so biologists would know if she returned to Guam.

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Tibbatts said it’s difficult to know exactly how old the turtle is, but based on its size, he estimated Lourdes was about 8 to 10 years old.

Lt. Mark Aguon, officer in charge with the Department of Agriculture’s law enforcement division, said they learned about the turtle after receiving an anonymous call last week.

They executed a search warrant and found a turtle in a swimming pool, Aguon said.

Through their investigation, Aguon said officers found out that there had been three other turtles that were captured and had been eaten.

Arrests made in connection with turtles

The conservation officers arrested three people before Lourdes’ release and expected to arrest two more before the end of the day on Friday, according to Aguon.

Their names and the case information will be sent to the Office of the Attorney General for prosecution, Aguon said.

Tibbatts: Don’t touch the turtles

Anyone who might encounter green sea turtles shouldn’t touch them, not even to bring them to the authorities, Tibbatts said.

“We’ve had people bring them to our office thinking they were doing a good thing, and they were, but that’s illegal,” Tibbatts said. “You could get arrested.”

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If you see turtles in captivity, call the agriculture department at 300-7965 or call police at 472-8911. Police can then contact conservation officers to investigate.

“The important thing to stress is that the public should not interact with the turtles, whatsoever,” Aguon said.

Taking green sea turtles is prohibited under local and federal law, Aguon said.

People have been prosecuted in federal court in recent years for turtles they’ve captured.

Lourdes was named after the new governor of Guam, Lourdes Leon Guerrero, Department of Agriculture officials said.