A rare sea turtle that a Florida fisherman wanted to cook and eat has been released back into the wild.   

Officials at The Florida Aquarium say the fisherman snagged the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle in May. Instead of releasing it, he put the 15-pound juvenile turtle in a tank in his backyard in Tampa.

Aquarium official Susan Coy tells The Tampa Tribune  that the fisherman planned to cook and eat the endangered species, but a neighbor reported him to authorities.

It’s not unheard of for turtle meat to be used in dishes such as soups.

Gary Morse, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, says the fisherman told investigators he didn’t know the turtle was endangered.

The turtle named “Lucky” was rehabilitated at the aquarium until it was released.

Source: The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune, http://www.tampatrib.com

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Looking for a Hare to Race? 

Residents in Logan, Utah were startled to see a 127-pound giant tortoise wandering down a street after it escaped from its owner.

Assistant police chief Jeff Curtis says the African spurred tortoise was spotted one afternoon and that it was 3 to 4 feet wide.

He says it was so large that it took two animal control officers to load it into a vehicle and take it to the Willow Park Zoo, where it was quarantined until owner Curtis Baird claimed it.

Baird says he owns nine tortoises and recently moved to Logan. He says Timmy the 21-year-old tortoise has escaped twice in a week and he doesn’t know how the animal is getting out.

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Bustin’ Loose

More than 1,000 turtles made a slow-speed escape from their turtle farm in northwest Georgia.

Turtle farmer David Driver told sheriff’s officials that he suspected vandals might be to blame for tearing down fences around his turtle ponds in Summerville.

Authorities said the broken fence allowed the turtles – including snappers, Eastern paints and yellow-bellied sliders – to leave the farm and make a beeline to nearby ponds and creeks.

Driver told The Chattanooga Times Free Press that about 1,600 of the 2,200 turtles escaped. He said his business involves selling some turtles to pet-growing operations and others to China.

Sheriff’s officials are continuing to search for the turtles.

Summerville, known more as the home of folk artist Howard Finster than it is for turtles, is about 90 miles northwest of Atlanta.

Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press, http://www.timesfreepress.com