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Learning Zone / Study Tools / Reading Comprehension

Spark Study Buddy (Explorer): Sea turtle with 3 flippers returns to ocean after rehabilitation

Each week, this page tests your reading comprehension with an interesting story that we’ve adjusted to be more accessible for all English learners
byYoung Post, Associated Press
Published: 10:00pm, 01 Mar 2026
Length: 409 words
Spark Study Buddy (Explorer): Sea turtle with 3 flippers returns to ocean after rehabilitation

With one front flipper missing, Porkchop may not be able to travel as fast. But experts say her chances in the wild are still good. Photo: TNS

Read the following text and answer the quiz below.

[1] Cheers rose from a bundled-up crowd as a loggerhead sea turtle returned to the ocean after months of rehabilitation in Florida. She carried a satellite tracker for people to see how she fares with only three flippers.

[2] The air on the beach was chilly, with temperatures ranging from 4 to 9 degrees Celsius. But the Atlantic Ocean was a comfortable 25 degrees, said Heather Barron. She is the chief science officer and a veterinarian at the Loggerhead Marinelife Centre in Juno Beach.

[3] To prepare the turtle for re-entry into the wild, the facility kept her tank’s water temperature at around 27 degrees, Barron said. Beachgoers snapped photos as the turtle crawled down the sand, the satellite tracker’s long antenna waving in the air. Then she disappeared into the waves.

[4] The turtle was named Pyari, a Hindi term of endearment meaning “lovely” or “beloved”. She arrived at the centre in November from the nearby Inwater Research Group. Some kind of predator, likely a shark, had tried to make a meal of her, the marine centre said in a statement. It had left Pyari with serious injuries to her neck, shell and both front flippers. This led to the amputation of most of her left forelimb.

[5] “It’s definitely always very gratifying to see these animals go back into their ocean home,” Barron said. “And I think it’s particularly gratifying when you can track them on satellite, and see exactly where they’re going and what they’re doing.”

[6] Satellite tags are expensive, about US$10,000 (HK$78,170) each. But Barron said they were important for gathering data on the three-legged turtle. Scientists know very little about how well they do after rehabilitation. The small electronic devices attached to the turtles show their location.

[7] The centre is currently tracking Pyari and two other turtles with missing legs. Barron explained that every small piece of information helps us understand how these animals behave and if they are doing well in the wild.

Source: Associated Press, January 28

Content provided by British Council

IN THIS ARTICLE
Oceans and marine life
Animals
Better English
English exercises

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