Jack, a green sea turtle, before he was released.

After riding for several hours in a car, the loggerhead sea turtle had lifted its head with apparent interest when the hatch swung open, flapping a flipper at staff members from The Florida Aquarium in Tampa.

And the flapping grew more intense when they hoisted the 50-pound turtle toward the Intracoastal Waterway off Hutchinson Island in St. Lucie County.

But, upon entering the waterway, Teddy seemed to lose interest, swimming a few feet away, then turning back and lifting both head and flipper out of the water.

“He’s saying bye,” said Virginia Wright-Placeres, a staff member at the aquarium.

But Teddy didn’t leave. The turtle swam nearby while staff members released a 10-pound green sea turtle, nicknamed Jack, into the water. (more…)