It is always a happy moment when a rehabilitated animal is returned to the wild. After all, that is always the best outcome. Find an animal in need, nurse it back to strength, then return it to its home once more. That is precisely what happened with the beloved sea turtle, Elton. Just the other day, this endangered sea turtle was finally released back to sea.
Endangered Sea Turtle Finally Released Back To Sea
Pexels image by Maria Isabella Bernotti
Elton the sea turtle was found months ago, stranded on a beach. Not only was the poor creature stranded, but the NY Post shares that Elton was also suffering "from hypothermia last winter." They wrote that "he juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtle was discovered cold-stunned, or hypothermic, on the shores of Barnstable, Massachusetts, in December." Naturally, the animal rescuers couldn't leave him like that.
So, Elton was taken into care by the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society. The Wildlife Conservation Society claimed that the young sea turtle's condition was not uncommon. If sea turtles do not migrate south fast enough to escape the cold temperatures, they can become "cold-stunned", and the results are not always pleasant.
Just mere months after being taken into human care, the endangered sea turtle was finally released back to the sea. The New York Aquarium in Brooklyn released Elton.
A Joyous Day For All
Elton's return to sea was a joyous day for all. After all, it is not every day you get to watch an endangered sea turtle return to the sea. As his handlers were carrying him across the sand, Elton flapped his little flippers. Almost as if he were preparing for the great swim he was about to take. Then, the handlers carefully placed him on the sand, right where the tide began to break along the shore.
As soon as he was safe on the sand, Elton began to slide himself toward the sea, toward home. One of the handlers took the opportunity to point out the tracks that Elton was leaving behind. Explaining to the onlookers that that is what turtle tracks look like, and to report them if they see any. As the waves began to lap over Elton's body, everyone around him was all smiles.
Chants and cheers like "You go buddy!" and "You've got this!" sounded all around him. Finally, cheers and applause erupted as Elton dove into a wave and swam off, ready to begin his new life. Leigh Ann Clayton, Director of the New York Aquarium, shared this touching sentiment about the experience.
"Elton's return to the ocean is a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when science, compassionate care, and public support come together."
