As approximately 50 spectators watched their every move, three sea turtles got to be free again on Thursday.
With the help of the MERR Institute, a Lewes-based marine research and rehabilitation institute, two Kemp’s ridley sea turtles and one loggerhead sea turtle were released back into the ocean at Rehoboth Beach.
It was a long trip for the turtles, as the MERR Institute drove one of the turtles from the New York Marine Rescue Center and the two others from Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut to be released into warmer water temperatures in Delaware.
Endangered bird nests at Delaware beach:A rare bird has nested at a Delaware park, prompting a portion of beach to close
The turtles, named Coconut, Spunky and Poseidon, are back where they belong. For Suzanne Thurman, the executive director of the MERR Institute, the release was one of the most exciting things the organization has ever done, she said.
“It’s very meaningful to us,” Thurman told the News Journal. “It’s just a thrill to see them. They’re so beautiful, and it was wonderful for everybody who was here, whether they were our volunteers, our interns, our staff, our members of the public, they were all equally excited, I think.”
Before MERR volunteers placed the turtles in the ocean, they were first transported in a cargo van and carried onto the beach in containers. From there, they were briefly put in a pool to acclimate to the water.
Both the Kemp’s ridley and loggerhead sea turtles are endangered, with the Kemp’s Ridley being the most endangered type of sea turtle, according to Thurman.
