This event was so popular that even Spiderman took time out from his busy crime fighting schedule to watch the release! In the photo above, an Aquarium educator talk to the crowd while waiting for the animals to be brought down to the beach.

 

This part of the release is called the "Walk of Fame." The turtles are removed from their transport boxes and walked around the outskirts of the release area. The crowd remains behind the caution tape, but is given a close view of these spectacular animals.

After their 15 minutes of fame, the turtle handlers line up the animals on the beach and place them down at the same time. This year a friendly competition developed among the handlers and the crowd as to which turtle would enter the water first. The Audubon turtle won by a mile, and so did it's cheering section!

After making their way down the beach, the turtles enter the big blue! I attached a satellite transmitter to the shell of a green sea turtle named Goose so I can see how well he does after rehabilitation. The tag will also provide data on where this animal goes, the surrounding water temperature, and the depth and duration of it's dives. You can follow the track of this turtle on seaturtle.org. I'll also proved updates on this blog.

-Connie

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