It’s been a few days since an update was given from the Audubon Aquatic Center and our sea turtle operations. Well I am happy to provide the current update for all my readers today. As of this morning, June 2^nd, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is caring for a total of 28 sea turtles. The breakdown is as follows: 22 oiled Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles, 2 non-oiled Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles, 2 Loggerhead sea turtles, 1 Green sea turtle and 1 Hawksbill sea turtle. All sea turtles are stable.

The picture on this blog is of one of our newer ‘patients’, a juvenile Green sea turtle. The staff estimates its age to be 2 years old. We have larger Green sea turtles at Audubon Aquarium of the Americas that you can visit. Mydas, a large adult male, can be seen in the Gulf of Mexico exhibit. We also have Treme and Margeaux, who both were rescued in December of 2009 due to being cold stunned. They were due for release this summer but the current situation in the Gulf has changed those plans. Treme can be seen in the Flower Garden Banks exhibit and Margeaux swims around (and hides) in the Caribbean Tunnel. Make sure to keep an eye out for them!

You might be asking, how did you get so many turtles? Well NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) along with LDWF (Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries) are conducting on-sea surveys with teams of biologists on boats looking for animals in distress. This operation started Monday, May 31^st and will continue throughout this week, possibly longer.
We are proud to be able to provide care to these animals since they are listed on the endangered species list. Some of the staff fell honored to have such an opportunity to provide a chance of survival for these little turtles in such a harsh time.

Another note of mention: we have a guest veterinarian in the house this week, Dr. Charlie Innis from the New England Aquarium. He is the chief veterinarian there and is recognized as a leading expert in Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles. We are happy to have him on board.

What will tomorrow hold? We never know but we are ready for anything and everything. Until then:
"For in the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught."~Baba Dioum