ASSATEAGUE – Two rehabilitated sea turtles were sent back into the ocean from the beach at Assateague State Park, the first public release since the beginning of the COVID pandemic.
The National Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Team last Thursday released two Kemp’s ridley sea turtles from the beach at Assateague in front of a large crowd of onlookers watching the rehabilitated creatures make their way across the beach and back into the sea. For National Aquarium staffers, it was the first public release of sea turtles, seals or other sea creatures in front of a large crowd of onlookers since before the pandemic.
In a typical year, the National Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Team releases rehabilitated sea creatures in publicly announced ceremonies. During COVID, however, the aquarium continued to rehabilitate injured or ill sea turtles, seals and other sea mammals as usual, but the releases were generally private ceremonies because of social distancing, gathering sizes and other pandemic-related restrictions in place.
With those restrictions eased, National Aquarium staffers last Thursday released the two Kemp’s ridley sea turtles back into the wild in front a big crowd at Assateague State Park. The two turtles, named Bassoon and Cello, in keeping with the aquarium’s theme this year of naming rehabilitated sea creatures after musical instruments, made their way back into the ocean in front of the large crowd that gathered to witness the event.
Both came to the National Aquarium last fall as part of a larger group of 28 sea turtles that were rescued by various agencies and organizations along the east coast. Bassoon and Cello came to the aquarium suffering from various injuries and pneumonia. Bassoon notably received acupuncture treatments and physical therapy treatments while in the aquarium’s care.