INDIALANTIC, Fla. — A 400-pound loggerhead turtle was struck and killed on a Florida road, but thanks to a group of researchers, life may go on for her eggs.
According to WTVT, the incident occurred early Wednesday on state Road A1A in Indialantic. Brevard County deputies learned that a large turtle was obstructing the road and alerted wildlife experts, the news outlet reported.
“As the turtle continued to attempt to nest, it wandered up a ramp, into someone’s yard and onto the road, where it was struck by a passing vehicle,” the post read.
In a Facebook post, the University of Central Florida Marine Turtle Research Group said the turtle, a nesting female loggerhead, “had attempted to dig a nest chamber on the beach nearby multiple times, but due to a missing flipper was unable to do so.”
Although the turtle died, researchers sprang into action to recover about 70 of her eggs and bury them on a nearby beach, according to WTVT.
“We will monitor the nest, and hopefully, they will incubate and hatch as normal,” researchers wrote in the Facebook post. “There is no evidence that any people interacted with the turtle before it was hit.”
Nesting season for sea turtles began March 1 and ends Oct. 31, WTVT reported.