Oiled turtles, group 3

Age Class Hatchling
Gender Unknown
Date Stranded
Location of Stranding Oiled waters off Louisiana
Date of Arrival September 23, 2010
Number of Days of Care 71 days

Final Disposition

Released on Dec. 2 2010

On Sept. 23, a third group of sea turtles rescued from the oiled waters off Louisiana arrived at Mote for care. The turtles — two green sea turtles and two Kemp's ridleys — had been cleaned of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill and given acute veterinary care upon their rescue by the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans. Mote was the turtles' final stop on their road to recovery and return to the wild. October update: One of the turtles — a green — was released off Cedar Key on Oct. 11. December update: The remaining turtles were released Dec. 2 off Marco Island. Photos of their release are below.

Happening at Mote

Fin Fact

Sea turtles lay thousands of nests on southwest Florida beaches each summer. On Longboat Key through Venice, Florida, Mote scientists have documented sea turtle nesting since 1982!

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