14 sea turtle hatchlings rescued from Bonita Springs storm drains

Firefighters and wildlife group team up at condominium

The Bonita Springs Fire District said on social media that the baby turtles had fallen into a pair of storm drains near the Mediterra Beach Club on Tuesday.

Fire district spokeswoman Nicole Hornberger told the Naples Daily News that the turtles were safely fished out by firefighters and personnel from Turtle Times, Inc., a wildlife rescue group.

“Around this time of year, we get a lot of ducklings in drains, but we haven’t had a lot of sea turtles,” Hornberger said. “But this was close to the beach.”

The 14 hatchlings were loaded into buckets and helped along their journey to the Gulf of Mexico, officials said.