Endangered Kemp's ridley turtles return to the sea July 30th

Biddeford, Maine — The University of New England Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center (MARC) was one of six regional marine animal organizations that have worked closely together to release five critically endangered sea turtles July 30, 2008 back to their saltwater home.

The five Kemp’s ridley sea turtles were released on Dowses Beach in the village of Osterville in Barnstable, Mass. by rehabilitation partners the New England Aquarium, the National Marine Life Center (NMLC), UNE's MARC, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Woods Hole Science Aquarium, and the Riverhead Foundation. 

Four of the turtles were rehabilitated at UNE's MARC.

The sea turtles – all juveniles – were found cold-stunned between November 2006 and January 2008, and rescued by volunteers from the Massachusetts Audubon Society Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.

“The collaboration of all of these rehabilitation facilities to save the turtles, care for them, and return them back to the wild to help save this rare species is a fantastic thing,” says Keith Matassa, MARC’s marine mammal rehabilitation coordinator. 

Kemp's Ridley Turtles
Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are the world’s most endangered sea turtle, with only a few thousand breeding females known to exist in the wild.  Kemp’s ridleys are also among the smallest of the sea turtles, with adults weighing up to 100 pounds and reaching about two feet in length.  The juveniles being released weigh 10-25 pounds. 

Kemp’s ridleys range includes the Gulf coasts of Mexico and the United States, and the Atlantic coast of North America.

Late each fall, many juvenile sea turtles feeding in Cape Cod Bay fail to migrate south.  Since the turtles are cold-blooded, their bodies assume the temperature of the water around them and they eventually become hypothermic.  Some die at sea while others drift to shore. 

Volunteers from the MassAudubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary rescue the turtles along the beach and transport them to rehabilitation centers.  There the turtles are slowly warmed and treated for complications of hypothermia, including pneumonia and bone and joint problems.  Sea turtle stranding season lasts from late October through December.

“Saving these critically endangered animals is essential to ocean conservation.  We’re thrilled to be working alongside institutions such as the New England Aquarium, Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center, MassAudubon, Riverhead, and NOAA in the fight to save stranded sea turtles on Cape Cod” said Kathy Zagzebski, NMLC president and executive director.

Satellite Tags for Two Turtles
Two of the turtles were tagged prior to release to gather information about their post-release behavior, survival, migration and habitat, and to see how the rehabilitation techniques affect the turtles in the wild. 

“Lavender” was fitted with a satellite tag that was funded by donors at NMLC’s 2007 Mermaid Ball fundraising gala.  “Ursula” was fitted with a tag generously provided by the Riverhead Foundation.  

The satellite tags, which weigh less than 2 ounces, are attached to the turtles’ shells just behind their necks.  Physical identification tags are also placed on the turtles’ flippers and a PIT tag just under their skin.  The public may follow the turtles’ progress at www.seaturtle.org/tracking.

The turtles that were rehabilitated at UNE's Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center are:

"Tigger"
MARC 08-011 Lk
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle
Lepidochelys kempii
Arrival Date at MARC: 1/25/2008
Stranded At: Linnel Landing, Brewster, MA
Transferred from: New England Aquarium
Gender: Unknown
Age: Unknown
Reason for Rehabilitation:
Recovering from Cold-Stunning (Hypothermia)
Released At: Cape Cod, MA

"Waldorf"
MARC 08-010 Lk
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle
Lepidochelys kempii
Arrival Date at MARC: 1/25/2008
Stranded At: Breakwater Beach, Brewster, MA
Transferred from: New England Aquarium
Gender: Unknown
 Age: Unknown
Reason for Rehabilitation:
Recovering from Cold-Stunning (Hypothermia)
Released At: Cape Cod, MA

"Ursula"
MARC 08-009 Lk
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle
Lepidochelys kempii
Arrival Date at MARC: 1/25/2008
Stranded At: Beach Point, North Truro, MA
Transferred from: New England Aquarium
Gender: Unknown
Age: Unknown
Reason for Rehabilitation: Recovering from Cold-Stunning (Hypothermia)
Released At: Cape Cod, MA
Track at www.seaturtle.org/tracking

"Scooby Doo"
MARC 08-008 Lk
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle
Lepidochelys kempii
Arrival Date at MARC: 1/25/2008
Stranded At: Linnel Landing, Brewster, MA
Transferred from: New England Aquarium
Gender: Unknown
Age: Unknown
Reason for Rehabilitation: Recovering from Cold-Stunning (Hypothermia)
Released At: Cape Cod, MA

Lavender was rehabilitated at the NMLC:

“Lavender”                                                         
Lavender is juvenile Kemp’s ridley sea turtle that was cold-stunned and stranded on Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable, Mass. in November 2006.  The turtle arrived immunocompromised from extended exposure to cold temperatures and was suffering from pneumonia and injuries to the front flipper tips; it was initially treated at the New England Aquarium before being transferred to the National Marine Life Center (NMLC) on Jan. 16, 2007.  Due to the construction of NMLC’s new hospital, Lavender was transferred to our partner organization, NOAA Woods Hole Science Aquarium, in January of 2008 while remaining under the medical care of NMLC’s veterinarians, Dr. Michele Sims and Dr. Rogers Williams.

A tracheal wash revealed that the pneumonia was caused by bacteria called Mycobacteria fortuitum.
              
A series of nine CTs were performed at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Computerized Scanning and Imaging Facility and at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine.  Dr. Mauricio Solano, a veterinary radiologist at Tufts, provided a review and interpretation of Lavender’s CT series.  Lavender’s condition was treated with several courses of antifungals and antibiotics.  After nearly one and a half years of treatment, the pneumonia is resolved, and Lavender is ready for release!

Lavender has been fitted with a satellite tag which will allow her migratory movements to be tracked post-release.  Visit http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/  to follow her journey back into her ocean home. 

(News release posted July 28, 2008)