BOSTON (WHDH) - The New England Aquarium on Thursday released four loggerhead sea turtles into the waters off Cape Cod following four months of rehabilitation.
The turtles had been cold-stunned by icy waters in December and were taken to the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital after being rescued by staff and volunteers with Massachusetts Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
Aquarium staff treated the four turtles for a variety of life-threatening medical conditions, including hypothermia, pneumonia, and bone fractures. The turtles were cleared to return to the wild by staff veterinarians last month, according to a New England Aquarium spokeswoman.
“Caring for rescued turtles, especially bigger species such as loggerheads, takes a tremendous amount of manpower and resources,” said Aquarium Supervisor of Rescue and Rehabilitation Adam Kennedy.
The aquarium plans to track and study the movement of the turtles as part of its work safeguarding ocean animals and habitats.
Prior to their release, the loggerheads were outfitted with internal acoustic tags, according to the aquarium’s spokeswoman. Two of the turtles also received satellite tags.
The tags are used to collect data about where the turtles swim, feed, and travel. This will help aquarium researchers help protect the threatened species.
“Sea turtle conservation depends on sound science,” said Dr. Kara Dodge, research scientist at the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life. “We use electronic tags to understand how well these turtles adapt to life in the wild […] I’m especially excited about this release, since the acoustic tags will give us at least three years of information.”
The Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life is working closely with several research collaborators to expand acoustic telemetry monitoring capabilities in New England over the next five to 10 years.
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