Following the trek of ‘Turtle Johnny'

This turtle is a seasoned traveler.

After riding the Gulf Stream thousands of miles to the Netherlands, hitching a ride to Portugal, and boarding a plane to Sarasota, FL, the Forgotten Coast is set to be the next stop on this traveler's nearly 5,000-mile journey.

The rare Kemp's Ridley sea turtle was found stranded on a beach in the Netherlands in 2008, far from his natural habitat. Marine experts believe the turtle was cold-stunned and swept up in the powerful Gulf Stream.

Rescuers from the Netherlands named him "Johnny", although the sex is unclear, and transported him to Portugal for rehabilitation and later to Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota for further recovery. 

Johnny was released into the Gulf of Mexico in Sarasota off Lido Key on Dec. 27, equipped with a high-tech satellite tracker to reveal the breeding and feeding grounds in the Gulf of Mexico.

Ken Harris has tracked Johnny's every move since his release in December.

He and his wife often joked about Johnny making a trip up to Cape San Blas where the Chattanooga couple own a vacation home, and now it would appear a reality.

"As he progressed up the coast we jokingly would say 'Oh he's headed our way,'" Harris said. "We've got to go out and welcome him and say 'Hey, you should stick around.'"

Harris and his wife have been vacationing at the Cape since 1987 and have become fascinated with the sea turtle nesting habits. He said they feel blessed to have an area that is still "turtle friendly." 

"You can't be out at the Cape without admiring the area's wildlife," Harris said.

After reading Johnny's story of survival and release, which made national news in December, Harris immediately signed up to receive daily email updates chronicling the turtle's movements.

He has delighted in watching Johnny swim up the Florida Gulf Coast, inching closer and closer to the Cape.

The turtle now appears to be hanging out in the Gulf waters off the coast of St. Vincent Island.

Harris is certain Johnny will pass by the Cape sometime this week and wishes he could be there to greet him as he passes.

"At this age, these turtles are supposed to be in the Gulf of Mexico," said Hayley Rutger, public relations coordinator for the Mote Marine Laboratory. "Every single one of them is important. They're one of the rarest species (of sea turtles)."

Rutger said Johnny's situation was as rare as his species.

"He was found stranded in the Netherlands cold and in bad shape and very unhealthy looking," Rutger said. "We had to get special permission to get him into the U.S. We were a good place because we could treat him and tag him. We have the science and the hospital here together. It gives us a chance to monitor him afterward."

Mote is one of the few facilities with permission to satellite track rehabilitated sea turtles.

"It's something Mote does quite often," Rutger said. "Since 2005, we've been satellite tagging these turtles. It's really important because you want to know where their crucial habitat is."

The Mote Marine Laboratory's sea turtle rehabilitation hospital has treated nearly 400 turtles since 1995.

Ninety five percent of Kemp’s Ridley nesting occurs in Rancho Nuevo, Mexico, and the turtles have also been known to occasionally nest in Veracruz, Mexico and Texas. 

Rutger said Johnny's trek up the coastline is a demonstration of "homing behavior", an instinctual ability turtles have to return to specific areas when they are displaced from it.

"As far as anybody can say, it’s a normal track," Rutger said. "He seems to be going to where the others are." 

Rutger said Kemp’s Ridley turtles are known to hang out in the shallow waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico along the continental margin.

"It's a little late in the year for them to be moving," Rutger said. "But it seems like he's heading where he needs to be." 

To follow Johnny's movements as he continues to move closer to our area visit http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?tag_id=113650.