What to Know
- Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach
- The rescued turtle is recovering off-view following surgery; the aquarium is working toward releasing the animal once its flipper has fully healed and "ocean conditions" are just right
- The aquarium has played a major part in sea turtle rehabilitation since 2000
Spending nearly a quarter of a century dedicated to any noble, nature-loving pursuit is worthy of acclaim.
A program that began at the Aquarium of the Pacific back in 2000, an effort that helps to rehabilitate endangered sea turtles and return them to the ocean, falls under this heartfelt header.
The newest participant in the program, an endangered sea turtle found at Avila Beach in December, is thriving well under the keepers' care.
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The animal is recovering behind the scenes, keep in mind, and is not on view at the Long Beach destination. But the aquarium did share a couple of cute photos of the sea turtle, with an update about its health and recovery.
"The rescued sea turtle did great with the surgery on its injured front flipper and is healing and eating well," said Dr. Lance Adams, Aquarium of the Pacific veterinarian.
"The goal is to be able to release the turtle back into the wild later this year once it has made its full recovery and ocean conditions are ideal."
The subadult — the sea turtle's age is estimated to be somewhere between 3 and 5 years — measures around 16 inches in length and its weight? It's 21.6 pounds.
"We prepare restaurant-quality seafood and greens for the rescued turtle every day," said Stacy Hammond, Aquarium of the Pacific aquarist.
"We have found that the turtle really likes its protein over its greens and also prefers to eat fish over shellfish like clams," said Stacy Hammond, Aquarium of the Pacific aquarist. "The food it eats contains important vitamins and nutrients to help it continue to get stronger."
The Marine Mammal Center's San Luis Obispo Operations, which is behind the sea turtle's rescue, is based in Morro Bay.
The sea turtle was transferred to the Aquarium of the Pacific "with authorization from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Fisheries office for a medical evaluation, surgery, and care because of the Aquarium's expertise in treating and releasing stranded and injured sea turtles."
