Elton, an endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle, was released into the Atlantic Ocean at Coney Island Beach on August 6 after months of rehabilitation. He had been stranded in Massachusetts due to hypothermia, a condition that affects cold-blooded turtles in cold waters. Various wildlife organizations assisted in his recovery and relocation. Elton was among 20 turtles transported to the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society for rehabilitation. Since 2020, AMSEAS has received and treated 100 turtles from Massachusetts, with Elton being the 91st turtle released back into the ocean.
Elton, a 3- to 5-year-old endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle, was the star of the show on Coney Island Beach on Aug. 6, as marine wildlife and environmental organizations, local officials, and New York Aquarium camp participants and high school leaders cheered his release into the Atlantic Ocean.
Elton was stranded on a beach in Massachusetts in the fall of 2024. The turtle was hypothermic, or cold-stunned, a condition that occurs when cold-blooded turtles fail to migrate south before northern waters drop.
Turtles Fly Too, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing and relocating endangered species, then flew Elton, along with 19 fellow Kemp's ridley sea turtles, to the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society (AMSEAS) in Hampton Bays, Long Island.
Robert A. DiGiovanni, founder and chief scientist of AMSEAS, told Brooklyn Paper that the organization has received 100 turtles from Massachusetts since 2020. Elton is the 91st turtle AMSEAS has released back into the ocean.
#kemps-ridley-sea-turtle #animal-rehabilitation #marine-conservation #wildlife-rescue #environmental-organizations
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