On February 14th, 2007, a sea turtle arrived at SeaWorld in desperate need of medical attention. Named in honor of the day of her rescue, Valentine the loggerhead sea turtle appeared lethargic, emaciated and covered with hundreds of barnacles. Treatment began immediately as the SeaWorld Aquarium staff and veterinarians began a thorough examination to determine what had caused Valentine to become so ill.

The natural diet of loggerhead sea turtles consist of such things as crabs, mollusks and shrimps, so occasionally the remains of such prey creatures build up inside their bodies. This was the case for Valentine - a build up of shells was found to be blocking part of the sea turtle's gastrointestinal tract.

After several weeks of treatment, Valentine was still refusing to eat any type of solid food. Matt, an aquarist at SeaWorld Orlando, remembered the day that Valentine's health made a turn for the better. "Valentine hadn't eaten in about two weeks, so one day I simply opened her mouth and popped in a bit of food. She bit down hard, and then she realized that I had given her food. She opened her mouth again for more and basically she never stopped eating after that."

Valentine began to grow strong and healthy. She arrived at SeaWorld weighing 77 kg (170 lb.) and by June Valentine tipped the scales at approximately 100 kg (220 lb.). On June 20th, Valentine was released back into the ocean near Melbourne, Florida.

SeaWorld has released more than 500 sea turtles through the park's Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation program. All species of sea turtles are either endangered or threatened.