Sea creature lost a limb after getting snared in crab trap in Florida. See the release

Boaters found a struggling creature tangled in line from a crab trap in Florida waters, and the animal needed an amputation and 16 months of rehab.

Now, Mischief the 140-pound loggerhead sea turtle is back in the wild.

Mischief was found ensnared in Sebastian Inlet in October 2023 and was taken in by the Brevard Zoo. But the line from the fishing gear had wrapped so tightly around Mischief’s front right flipper it had cut off circulation, and veterinarians had to amputate the limb during a six-hour surgery, according to the zoo.

“Sea turtles’ bodies can quickly heal from the severity of a missing limb — recovery needs to be fast after the trauma of losing a limb to a predator — but sometimes complications arise from this quick healing,” zookeepers said.

The sub-adult turtle underwent additional procedures to clean the wound and remove debris, and nearly a year and a half later, was ready to go home.

“Sea turtles have been documented in the ocean living healthy full lives with just three flippers, so we believe Mischief will be able to do the same,” zookeepers wrote.

On Feb. 20, a crowd gathered at a beach in Melbourne to send the turtle off. Zookeepers hauled Mischief, who gained 30 pounds during rehab, onto the sand until the turtle crawled into the surf.

Loggerheads are the most common sea turtles in Florida, and one of the main threats they face is getting caught in fishing gear, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Melbourne is on Florida’s Atlantic coast, about a 70-mile drive southeast from Orlando.