While it wasn’t much of a race the crowd cheered excitedly as the National Aquarium released a dozen sea turtles at Assateague Island National Seashore Thursday. The release, which coincided with World Sea Turtle Day, also marked the 25th anniversary of the National Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Program. Since 1991, the program has rescued, treated and released more than 160 animals, many of them along the Maryland coast.
“It’s always a great feeling when you can return these animals to their natural habitat,” said Jennifer Dittmar, manager of the animal rescue program.
Thursday’s release, which took place at the north end of Assateague Island, featured 10 rehabilitated Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles from the Pittsburgh Zoo and two rehabbed green sea turtles. Dittmar said all of the turtles had suffered from cold stunning, the state turtles enter when they’re exposed to cold water suddenly.
“It causes a low body temperature and then crashes their immune system,” Dittmar said.
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