Porkchop the Three-Flippered Sea Turtle Is Free — After a Year of Love From the Aquarium

Sometimes a name tells you everything. Porkchop is a green sea turtle. Porkchop has three flippers. And on February 27, 2026, after almost a year of round-the-clock care at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, Porkchop swam back into the wild — and nobody who watched it happen will forget it quickly. The story begins in early 2025, when volunteers with the Aquarium's Green Sea Turtle Monitoring Project spotted an injured turtle during one of their weekly patrols along the San Gabriel River. The turtle was trapped — fishing line and debris had wrapped so tightly around one of its front flippers that it could barely move, let alone escape. When aquarium staff retrieved Porkchop and began assessing the injuries, what they found was serious. Ninety percent of the front flipper was already dead from lack of circulation. A fishing hook was lodged in the back of the turtle's mouth. Vets were not certain Porkchop would survive. But Porkchop had other ideas. The hook was removed from the mouth. The dead flipper — beyond saving — was amputated at the ball-and-socket joint. What followed was months of careful rehabilitation: monitoring nutrition, tracking healing, teaching Porkchop how to navigate and forage with a changed body. Veterinarians and aquarium staff watched closely. The wound healed completely. Porkchop learned to compensate. Appetite returned. Swimming improved. Finally, nearly twelve months after being pulled from the river, Porkchop was cleared for release. On Friday, February 27, the three-flippered turtle was returned to the San Gabriel River — the same stretch of water where it was found — and within moments, was swimming freely. The volunteers who spotted Porkchop in the first place were there to see it. "They took a year caring for them, making sure Porkchop was fully recovered and able to forage and eat," one of the monitoring volunteers said. "It was incredible to watch." Citizen science, veterinary expertise, and a year of patience. That's what it took to give one tough little turtle a second chance. Go on, Porkchop. You've earned it. 🐢