Manatee sheriff's sergeant, Bradenton Beach police rescue lost baby sea turtles, release them into Gulf

BRADENTON BEACH, Fla. - Law enforcement officers in Bradenton Beach came together to rescue a group of lost baby sea turtles heading away from the water and into a parking lot.

The Manatee County Sheriff's Office said the incident happened over the weekend, when a resident discovered the turtle hatchlings roaming her apartment complex's parking lot.

"It appeared the turtles hatched on the beach and traveled the wrong way, crossing over Gulf Dr, and into the parking lot across the road," the agency wrote.

(Photo: Manatee County Sheriff's Office)

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Sgt. Nixon with the sheriff's office joined Bradenton Beach police and the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch Team to search the area and collect the baby turtles.

Once they had gathered all of the little hatchlings, the group released them on the beach about 20 feet from the water, explaining that the goal was for the turtles to imprint on the area so they could return when it is their time to lay eggs.