The sea turtle “Marigold” receives care at the Sea Turtle Hospital. Photo courtesy of the New England Aquarium
BOSTON – In honor of Valentine’s Day, dozens of sea turtles are receiving flower-themed names as they rehabilitate from life-threatening conditions suffered during the cold stunning season, which ended in mid-January.
Naming turtles that have undergone extensive care is a tradition for the aquarium, and the 53 turtles that remain out of almost 400 turtles rescued from Cape beaches during the cold stunning season are those that require extra care for conditions such as bone infection and chronic pneumonia.
This year’s group includes Kemp’s ridley sea turtles named “Rose,” and “Marigold,” and a loggerhead named “Water Lily”.
“This is the time of year when we shift our operations from triaging and stabilizing hundreds of turtles to the next critical phase,” said Adam Kennedy, Director of Rescue and Rehabilitation at the New England Aquarium.
“At this point,” he said, “the focus is on those turtles that were too sick to be transported: Ensuring that the proper medical treatment is given, spending long hours coaxing the turtles to eat, and keeping a watchful eye on all of these animals’ behavior.”
Upon successful rehabilitation, the Aquarium plans to release the majority of the remaining turtles into Nantucket Sound during the summer when water temperatures are sufficiently warm enough to do so.
In the more immediate future, the Aquarium will also offer visitors the chance to visit the Blue Planet Action Center to learn about sea turtle rescue efforts and write to Congress in favor of conservation efforts from Monday, February 19 to Friday, February 23.
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