April 3, 2024 was a glorious day for many as nearly 30 sea turtles were released into the ocean after months of rehabilitation.
With the help of multiple marine conservation organizations and aquariums, 34 rehabilitated sea turtles were transported to Georgia’s Jekyll Island and released back into the ocean.
According to a press release, sea turtles are known to wash up on various beaches each winter as ocean temperatures drop, particularly in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and parts of New York.
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Volunteers from Massachusetts Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Refuge began patrolling Cape Cod beaches before transporting the stranded turtle to the New England Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital.
But local hospitals were extremely busy last season, when nearly 400 sea turtles arrived from hospitals in Massachusetts.
Over the past four to five months, the turtle was rehabilitated and treated for hypothermia. (Sarah Hartwig/Turtles Fly)
The aquarium is short on resources and space and has asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service and Turtles Fly Too to help transport the turtles to other organizations, according to a press release.
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Turtles Fly Too utilized volunteer pilots to transport turtles from the coasts of Massachusetts and New York to other rehabilitation centers, including Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, Mystic Aquarium, and New York Marine Rescue Center.
A Piper PA-34 Seneca flew to Jekyll Island, Georgia, carrying 23 rehabilitated sea turtles. (Sarah Hartwig/Turtles Fly)
Here, the turtles underwent four to five months of rehabilitation care to treat hypothermia-like conditions such as pneumonia, dehydration, and trauma.
“These turtles… [were] Those who were stranded late last year are certainly receiving excellent care and are fully recovered by the time they are sent home. ”
On Wednesday, April 3, more than a dozen staff members from six agencies who assisted in the rehabilitation process were on site as 34 turtles were released back into the ocean in Georgia.
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Of the sea turtles that were rehabilitated and released back into the ocean, 33 were Kemp’s sea turtles and one was a green sea turtle.
Volunteers helped return all 34 sea turtles to the ocean. (Sarah Hartwig/Turtles Fly)
Adam Kennedy, director of rescue and rehabilitation at the New England Aquarium, said it was a rewarding experience to see the 11 sea turtles the aquarium cared for return to health and thrive in the ocean.
“These turtles… [were] “Those who were stranded late last year certainly received excellent care and are fully recovered upon their return,” it said in a press release.
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Maxine Montello, executive director of the New York Marine Rescue Center, said she is grateful that the five locally rehabilitated Kemp’s sea turtles are now “back home” in the ocean.
The sea turtle is from Cape Cod or New York and was found washed up on a shore earlier this winter. (Sarah Hartwig/Turtles Fly)
The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, based in Hamptons Bay, New York, has rehabilitated 16 Kemp’s sea turtles. Mystic Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Program, based in Mystic, Conn., rescued two other turtles involved in the release.
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Kempripuri sea turtles are typically found in New England and the mid-Atlantic, and adults weigh about 70 to 100 pounds, according to NOAA.
Turtles are known to live for about 30 years, but they face threats from fishing gear, ocean pollution, and climate change.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Turtles Fly Too for further comment.
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