Four Sea Turtles to be Released Tuesday on Isle of Palms

Jacobs (Credit: South Carolina Aquarium)

The South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center will release four sea turtles at Isle of Palms County Park on Tuesday, October 3rd at 3 pm. This will be the final public sea turtle release of the year.

As usual, the public is invited to attend the event. Although viewing the release is free, attendees may have to pay for parking. The Aquarium will also broadcast the event on Facebook Live.

Here’s a look at each of the turtles being released:

• Caldwell
  • Juvenile Loggerhead
  • Caught by a fisherman on Tower Beach on Hilton Head Island
  • He was lethargic and his body temperature was high. X-rays showed a hook in his mouth
• Hank
  • Juvenile Loggerhead
  • He was found stranded on the beach on Sand Island, a remote island off of our coastline in Georgetown County
  • He had signs of debilitated turtle syndrome and multiple boat strike fractures and injuries
• Jacobs (right)
  • Adult Loggerhead
  • She was found in the Charleston Shipping Channel with a shark bite wound to her left front flipper
• Sheldon
  • Adult Kemp’s ridley
  • He was found stranded on Hilton Head Island with a boat strike wound

You can learn more about the turtles by watching the video at the conclusion of this post. To learn more about the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Care Center and Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery, visit the official website.

In partnership with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center works to rescue, rehabilitate and release sea turtles that strand along the South Carolina coast. Located in the Aquarium, the Care Center admits 20-30 sea turtles each year. Many of these animals are in critical conditions, and some are too sick to save.

According to SCDNR, during the past 10 years, the average number of sea turtle strandings on South Carolina beaches each year is 128. Of these, roughly 10 percent are alive and successfully transported to the Sea Turtle Hospital. To date, the South Carolina Aquarium has successfully rehabilitated and released 236 sea turtles and currently has 12 patients in its care.

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