A small crowd and two news cameras watched the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) release two turtles this morning at Cape May Point State Park. King Tide, a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, had been rehabilitated by the New England Aquarium in Boston since his rescue in Cape Cod last December. He is their last release from the 2016 stranding season. The second was a green turtle rescued from the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station. The turtles were released in Cape May at outgoing tide and will swim to warmer southern waters.
The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is a critically endangered species and is rarest of sea turtles. King Tide underwent surgery for an infected joint in his fore flippers and was fully recovered before his release. Green sea turtles are also endangered.
The MMSC is a non-profit organization that rescues sick and injured marine mammals and sea turtles. Since they began in 1978, they have responded to over 4,800 strandings and handled nearly 2,000 turtles. Find out more about them on their website mmsc.org.
