{"id":15385,"date":"2025-06-26T04:45:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T04:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/15385\/"},"modified":"2025-06-26T04:45:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T04:45:13","slug":"endangered-sea-turtles-released-after-rehabilitation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/15385\/","title":{"rendered":"Endangered sea turtles released after rehabilitation"},"content":{"rendered":"

As morning light spread across Nantucket Sound on Wednesday, staff from the New England Aquarium<\/a> released 17 endangered and threatened sea turtles back into the ocean after months of medical care.<\/p>\n

The release, held at West Dennis Beach after ocean temperatures crossed the 65-degree threshold, marked the first of the season for the Aquarium\u2019s Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy \u2014 and a high point in what has become an increasingly urgent cycle of rescue and rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

Each winter, hundreds of sea turtles wash ashore on Cape Cod, cold-stunned by frigid water that leaves them unable to move or feed. This stranding season, 518 turtles were rescued between November and January \u2014 tied for the third busiest season on record. Fifteen years ago, it was common to see only about 100 strandings, but as ocean temperatures rise and more turtles stray north into New England waters, the average number has more than quintupled<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cCold-stunning is basically hypothermia for turtles,\u201d said Adam Kennedy, the Aquarium\u2019s director of rescue and rehabilitation. \u201cThey can\u2019t regulate their body temperature, so as the water gets colder, they float to the surface, and the wind blows them in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The phenomenon has worsened as the Gulf of Maine, one of the fastest-warming ocean bodies on Earth<\/a>, continues to heat rapidly due to human-caused climate change. Warmer waters draw more turtles north each summer, but when fall arrives, their instinct to migrate south kicks in. Guided by Earth\u2019s magnetic field, they attempt to navigate back \u2014 only to become trapped by the hook-shaped geography of Cape Cod<\/a>, which blocks their path and strands them in dangerously cold waters.<\/p>\n

Most suffer from malnourishment, pneumonia, and other trauma after spending days or weeks adrift. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re bringing these turtles in from the winter, where they\u2019re kind of on death\u2019s doorstep,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cTo this point where they look wonderful, they look great \u2014 and they\u2019re ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BiologistBiologist Amanda Alig introduced Graeae, a Kemp\u2019s ridley sea turtle, to the crowd before releasing it in Dennis.Craig F. Walker\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n

Among those released was Tyche, a critically endangered Kemp\u2019s ridley sea turtle with a serious facial injury. <\/p>\n

\u201cNot knowing if it could even open its mouth enough to eat \u2014 or whether it would be able to thrive \u2014 that was a big question when the turtle first arrived,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cWe had to ask ourselves: Do you euthanize a turtle like that, or give it time?\u201d<\/p>\n

The staff waited. Over the months, Tyche healed. Her story \u2014 documented by the Aquarium\u2019s team \u2014 went viral on social media<\/a>. Kennedy said he was thrilled by the public\u2019s response and proud of his team\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

Named after the Greek goddess of luck and fortune, Tyche was one of several turtles this season named under a mythology theme. Others released this week included Selene, Oceanus, Athena, and Pan \u2014 names that reflect each animal\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n

\"Helen,Helen, a loggerhead sea turtle, headed towards the water after being released at West Dennis Beach.Craig F. Walker\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n

Ten turtles were fitted with satellite tags, and eight of those also received longer-lasting acoustic tags. <\/p>\n

Kara Dodge, a research scientist at the New England Aquarium, said satellite tags transmit real-time data when turtles surface to breathe, while acoustic tags work underwater but only near fixed receivers. Acoustic tags can last up to ten years, compared to six to twelve months for satellite tags.<\/p>\n

Dodge said researchers use the tags to better understand what happens to turtles once they\u2019re released. <\/p>\n

\u201cAre they surviving? Are they reintegrating with the wild population? Are they doing \u2018normal turtle things\u2019?\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u00a0The 17 released this week are just the beginning. Twenty-five more remain in rehabilitation and will hopefully all be cleared for release later this summer. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll the releases feel amazing,\u201d Dodge said. \u201cIt\u2019s just the culmination of so much work, and having them back in fantastic health and ready to go \u2014 it\u2019s pretty much thrilling every single time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"WithWith a satellite tag attached to its shell, Oceanus headed out to sea after being released in Dennis.Craig F. Walker\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n

Nathan Metcalf can be reached at nathan.metcalf@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him on Instagram @natpat_123<\/a>.<\/p>\n