SeaWorld Orlando returned four turtles to the ocean a day after World Turtle Day as part of its animal rescue team's efforts, Florida Today reported.
Three green turtles and a loggerhead sea turtle, weighing some 200 pounds, were taken back to the Atlantic Ocean after going through rehabilitation. A SeaWorld official said its team has rescued 43 sea turtles this year and has saved more than 2,999 since 1980.
"All the turtles, when we get them, they look very sad," senior aquarist Carlyn Wanta told Florida Today. "When we're able to give them that TLC, medication and good nutrition, and just time and attention, to see them start to turn around. ... You get to a moment like this when they take off to the ocean, that's the best reward."
SeaWorld’s website said other animal rescue teams have saved more than 31,000 animals, giving them a second chance at life.
Two of the turtles, named Alex and Linda, were released at Playalinda Beach at Canaveral National Seashore. Two others, Knight and Ted, were returned to the water at Sebastian Inlet, Florida Today said.
"It absolutely is a very emotional thing for them," Debby Powell, a Canaveral National Seashore volunteer said about the animal rescue team.
"Some of these turtles come in quite damaged, and they spend 24/7 rehabilitating them, begging them to eat, crying over them sometimes, and then eventually they get them to the point where they're swimming well, they're eating well, they're starting to exhibit some of their more aggressive behavior, and at that point they know, we've had a success," she continued.
World Turtle Day, which falls annually on May 23, is sponsored by the American Tortoise Rescue, an organization dedicated to rehabilitating and rescuing them, Newsweek reported.
The organization helps people learn more about the animals and how to conserve them, offering guidelines on their treatment, which include instructions about what to do if a person encounters a turtle in a roadway and how to advocate for the fair treatment of the animals.
Newsweek said World Sea Turtle Day will be celebrated June 16.
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