The Coast Guard is certainly the most unsung branch of the U.S. military. They protect America’s immediate, watery borders from bad stuff, like drug kingpins and giant shipments of drugs. They also, on occasion, are called upon to rescue and protect the myriad sea creatures that live on or near the coast. They are, after all, the Coast Guard.
Those two big tasks collided in a big way this week. A Coast Guard patrol working off the coast of Florida spotted a large sea turtle helplessly and sadly ensnared in some ropes, as well as a number of parcels held together by the ropes. The Coast Guard acted quickly to rescue the animal, only to do another big part of their job at the same time: The packages that had ensnared the turtled turned out to be 26 bales of cocaine. Total weight of all that stuff holding down our turtle friend: 800 kilograms (1760 pounds). Total value of all that blow: about $53 million. Markings on the turtle’s neck indicating she was tangled up for at least a couple of days. Ugh.
The US Coast Guard rescued a sea turtle entangled in bundles of cocaine off the coast of Florida pic.twitter.com/woQfUEMDWv
— CNN (@CNN) December 20, 2017
People got on social media to praise the heroic efforts of the Coast Guard, apologize on behalf of humanity…and question that turtle’s innocence.
https://twitter.com/DrShaena/status/943533090051371008
I don't know what would make this story worse, if this just happened accidentally, or was done on purpose.
Either way, humans are terrible. Sorry, turtle. https://t.co/VgsyPB2DV1
— Save Our Cemetere 🪦 (@TereKirkland) December 21, 2017
https://twitter.com/AlexEdelman/status/943735876554711041
https://twitter.com/lilricheyrich/status/943860213630636032
Wow, great job, on many levels @USCG!
— U.S. Army War College (@us_awc) December 21, 2017
It was the happiest sea turtle on record
— B.C. Drury (@BDGarp) December 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/MBerns247/status/943517260450291713
He wasn't entangled. You just cost that turtle half a mil $. Way to go Coast Guard
— Garrett Brown (@gbrown529) December 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/NPethuraj/status/943880392406208512