SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION PROGRAM

Our Sea Turtle Conservation Program recovered seven (7) sea turtles, received 14 rescued sea turtles, conducted three (3) deep-dive trials with sea turtles from partner facilities, satellite-tagged four (4) rehabilitated sea turtles and began assisting with health assessments of green sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico.

On March 2, a record was set when the team at The Florida Aquarium admitted 17 rescued turtles, the largest number the facility has ever received. With a growing reputation, we have been asked to respond to sea turtle stranding and recovery reports more often. With a grant from Sea Turtle Conservancy, a rescue response van was purchased to further enhance the program.

The last green sea turtle patient from the ‘20-’21 cold stun season overcame the odds to be released in March. In addition to pneumonia, the turtle – given the moniker Cersci – was treated for osteomyelitis, a bone infection, in both shoulders. With specialized care from our animal care and health teams, the bone loss was stabilized, allowing her return to the ocean.

The Florida Aquarium’s Debborah Luke, PhD, Sr. Vice President of Conservation, and Ashley Riese, Manager, Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center, were awarded funding for their study, “Using Satellite Telemetry to Assess Movement and Behavioral Patterns of Cold Stunned Sea Turtles that Strand in New England and are Released off Florida’s East Coast” by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), with support from the Disney Conservation Fund.

The AZA Conservation Grants Fund is a competitive grants program that supports the cooperative conservation-related scientific and educational initiatives of AZA members and their partners. Major areas of funding for conservation and animal care are represented, including research, field conservation, education and outreach, animal welfare, animal health and animal management.

Palmer is a juvenile loggerhead sea turtle who was transported to our Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center from a cold stunning event in Cape Cod Bay. After months of care, Palmer was cleared for release and was reintroduced into open ocean waters on April 21. On his back was a new accessory: a satellite-tracking tag funded by partners from the Sea Turtle Conservancy and Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Conservation Grants Fund (CGF).

These tags transmit critically important information about turtle behavior post-release while recording environmental data such as water temperatures. Data received provide key insights for future rehabilitation and conservation efforts.