The Florida Aquarium released eight sea turtles into the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday.
The juvenile green sea turtles spent the last three months in intensive care at the aquarium’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center in Apollo Beach.
Mel, Pepper, Calico, Tula, Pompano, Phyll, Mo, and Mac were released in Ormond Beach, close to where they were originally stranded.
Ashley Riese is the director of the conservation program.
“To see these animals come in super debilitated and get them to the point where they’re trying to wiggle right out of your hands and ‘I feel fine. I want to go back to the ocean,’” she said. “That’s a huge accomplishment and it’s a feeling you can’t even really describe.”
This aquarium said this is its largest release for the rehabilitation center this year.
The over $4.1 million facility opened in 2019 and has one of the state’s deepest turtle-exclusive dive pools.
Video provided by The Florida Aquarium of Wednesday’s release.
All marine turtle footage taken in Florida was obtained with the approval of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) under conditions not harmful to marine turtles. Footage was acquired while conducting authorized conservation activities pursuant to FWC MTP-24-179.
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