DENNIS, MASS. (WHDH) - A group of sea turtles was released off Cape Cod Tuesday after being rehabilitated at the New England Aquarium.
People who live on the Cape, along with Sen. Ed Markey, came out to Dennis to celebrate the sea creatures’ return to the open ocean.
Experts say the turtles released Tuesday are among many affected by climate change. Doctors at the aquarium took them in after the changing water temperatures stunned the turtles, causing them to get lost on their route from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Maine.
Markey lauded the aquarium for its efforts to support the affected animals.
“People are just so happy to see the work the New England Aquarium has done to rehabilitate and have these turtles back on a journey down to Mexico,” Markey said.
Markey spearheaded the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance Act with bipartisan support from Congress. It will provide funding to hospitals like the New England Aquarium for rehabilitating sea turtles.
“Sea turtles must in fact be one area that we agree upon. And that’s what we’re celebrating here today,” Markey said.
Among the turtles released is a 100-pound loggerhead named Marshmallow.
Marshmallow and the other turtles received GPS trackers so the aquarium can track their progress.
The New England Aquarium has rehabilitated hundreds of sea turtles just this year.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)