When Picasso the green sea turtle was released back into the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday afternoon, he carried a strange payload. It was the ashes of an oceanographer who founded the rehabilitation center that kept him alive.
Tony Amos died in early September from prostate cancer. He was 80-years-old. Four decades ago, he started the Animal Rehabilitation Keep for injured or sick sea turtles and aquatic birds, and over the course of those four decades, he saved countless lives.
Hundreds of people showed up to watch Picasso’s release. It was a sunset ceremony held on a stretch of beach named in his honor. His wife, his son, and a few other relatives sprinkled his ashes on the sea turtle’s back, then released it into the sea. “Come on little turtle, off you go. The sun’s about to set,” called Tony’s wife, Lynn Amos, when they released the sea turtle.
Amos’ turtle and seabird center was recently severely damaged by Hurricane Harvey. Situated in the town of Port Aransas, the hurricane ripped the building apart. Thankfully, all of the animals there were unharmed, despite major damage to concrete tanks that more than 60 turtles called home.
Amos, an unsung hero in the animal rescue world, was born in London. By 1976, he was an oceanographer for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute. Then, in 1979, the Ixtoc I exploratory well blew up off Mexico’s coast, and Amos found his true calling: helping animals to recover from the ailments humans inflict on them. His work was wide-ranging: from sea turtles to pelicans and everything in between, Amos worked tirelessly to heal injured animals.
