Rescued turtles make their way back to the sea

Every year, Kemp’s Ridleys travel to the Cape for the summer, when the water is warm. Most migrate back to warmer waters in the winter, but experts believe some young turtles get into trouble when they are swept north of the Cape by currents. Since the turtles are still young -- ages 2 to 4 -- they're not strong enough to navigate their way back down the East Coast, so they end up stuck in Cape Cod Bay.

Because the turtles are cold-blooded, their body temperatures decrease with the water temperature, said LaCasse. By November, their body temperatures are in the low 50s, a critical level.

Then “the first winter winds drag them to the beaches of the Cape,” where volunteers patrol hundreds of miles, looking to rescue them, said LaCasse.

Once the turtles are rescued and brought to the aquarium for treatment, they begin their long healing process.

They are warmed up 5 degrees each day until they reach their normal body temperature, about 70 degrees.

They are also given shots to bolster their immune system against pathogens that rapidly reproduce when the turtles hit warm water.

It takes several weeks to get the turtles -- many of them dehydrated, malnourished, and suffering from broken bones and shells -- to eat.

Now, they are finally ready to reintegrate into their natural habitats, said LaCasse.

The turtles released today were the second to last batch to be released this summer, meaning they were among the sickest rescued turtles and took longer to heal.

They were released from Cape Cod because of ideal 70-degree water temperatures. If the water is not cold enough, the turtles are shipped to a location down the coast where the water is warmer.

The turtles, all named by the aquarium after national parks or monuments, are expected to spend the summer south of Cape Cod feeding on crabs before they begin their migration to the Florida Panhandle in the fall.

Kemp’s Ridleys turtles are hatched on the western Gulf coast at the Texas-Mexico border and some have been affected by the Gulf oil spill. But the ones released on the Cape are likely to migrate only as far as the Atlantic or Gulf coasts of Florida, so they won't be affected by the spill, said LaCasse. The young turtles won't return to the hatching grounds until they are about 15 years old, he said.

Eight more turtles are set to be released in mid- to late August.