Oiled turtles, group 2

Age Class Juvenile
Gender Unknown
Date Stranded
Location of Stranding Gulf of Mexico waters off Louisiana
Date of Arrival August 23, 2010
Number of Days of Care 1226 days

Final Disposition

Five de-oiled sea turtles arrived Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 24, at Mote Marine Laboratory – the last stop on their road to recovery and release. These turtles, which have been cleaned of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill, were among 25 transported Tuesday to Florida facilities from the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans for final care and eventual release in oil-free Florida waters.

Before these turtles are returned to sea, their health must meet a list of specific criteria outlined by the federal authorities, including: being alert, active and able to swim and dive normally; feeding and excreting waste normally; good body condition and healthy weight; normal results from lab work; recovery from other health problems diagnosed in the clinic and no need for medications for at least two weeks before release. These turtles arrived at Mote as part of a group of more than a dozen that were transported to Florida rehabiliation facilities. The move happened to make room for more turtles in critical-care receiving facilities. The new Mote patients are juvenile Kemp’s ridleys — among the world’s smallest and rarest sea turtles and an endangered species.

>Click here to support Mote's Sea Turtle Rehabiliation Hospital.

October Update: One of the turtles that arrived in this group was released on Aug. 31. Three others were were released on Sept. 16. The fifth turtle from this group was released Oct. 11 from Cedar Key.

Happening at Mote

Fin Fact

Spotted eagle rays are big, beautiful fish related to sharks. To understand where these rays swim and the different threats they might encounter, Mote scientists co-authored the first multiyear, peer-reviewed research paper on the large-scale movements of spotted eagle rays in U.S. waters.

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