It was a shell yeah moment.<\/p>\n
A very nervous endangered turtle made its grand return to the Coney Island sea as local kids cheered it on \u2014 months after the reptile nearly froze to death.<\/p>\n
Pancake \u2014 a Kemp\u2019s Ridley Sea Turtle \u2014 slowly crawled toward the shoreline as dozens of children cheered on the sheller sprinter, which stopped several times along the short journey to take in its new future of freedom.<\/p>\n
Pancake was released into the Atlantic Ocean after months of rehab. WCS<\/p>\n
\u201cGo Pancake! You can do it!\u201d the kids shouted on the beach as they raised handmade signs for the animal.<\/p>\n
The tear-jerking moment marked the first time Pancake had touched open water since Nov. 22 \u2014 when the cold-stunned chelonian washed up on the freezing shores of Cape Cod.<\/p>\n
Pancake was suffering from hypothermia, which essentially paralyzed the reptile and would have been a death sentence if it hadn\u2019t been rushed to the New England Aquarium for triage.<\/p>\n
Officials discovered that the 11-pound turtle was between 2- and 5-years-old \u2014 making the creature just a baby considering its 50-year life span. <\/p>\n
Pancake is an 11-pound Kemp\u2019s Ridley sea turtle between 2- and 5-years old. Katie Donlevy for the NY Post<\/p>\n
Its sex is unknown because determining gender would require a blood test that was not necessary for its recovery. <\/p>\n
Pancake was stable after 10 days enough to join 24 other Kemp\u2019s Ridley sea turtles for a journey to the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society (AMSEAS) in Westhampton Beach, with support from the Wildlife Conservation Society\/New York Aquarium and other nonprofits.<\/p>\n
The turtles \u2014 which were all given breakfast menu-inspired names like Fritter and Mimosa \u2014 spent weeks being medically treated for hypothermia, earning back their strength and proving they could hunt down shrimp and clams on their own.<\/p>\n
Pancake washed up on a Cape Cod shore after suffering hypothermia in November. WCS<\/p>\n
The turtle was one of 24 with breakfast menu-inspired names rehabbed this winter at the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society. WCS<\/p>\n
\u201cGo Pancake! You can do it!\u201d kids cheered as the turtle appeared nervous about entering the water. WCS<\/p>\n
Their survival is essential to their species, which was listed as endangered in 1970 after years of habitat loss, egg over-harvesting and drownings brought on by accidental catches.<\/p>\n
There are now estimated to be at most 9,000 nesting adult females across the globe, though their numbers fluctuate drastically every year, according to the\u00a0National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cEleven pounds of pancake sounds like a lot \u2014 a little bit too much to eat \u2026 but this should be a reminder that while we\u2019re out there, these animals are our waters and there are natural threats that are out there,\u201d said Rob DiGiovanni, the founder and chief scientist at the AMSEAS.<\/a> \u201cWhether it be marine debris or vessels, we also tend to be a bigger part of the challenge for these animals\u2019 survival.\u201d<\/p>\n Kemp\u2019s Ridley turtles have been listed as endangered since 1970. WCS<\/p>\n DiGiovanni\u2019s team sealed a satellite tracking device to Pancake\u2019s shell, which will pinpoint the animal\u2019s exact location every time it comes up for air \u2014 typically about every five minutes.<\/p>\n The $3,500 GPS will hopefully stay on for up to six months before falling off, an expensive loss the AMSEAS is OK with eating. <\/p>\n