Story of the Week: Turtles released back into wild

Photo Credit: National Aquarium

                                                              

So here it is,  my first ever Story of the week!

Now I realise it didn’t occur in the UK, but it was way too happy for me to ignore (plus turtles are one of my favourite animals so this story was a given).

On October 20th 2013 the National Aquariums remaining two loggerhead turtles, Portsmouth and Rooney (Yeah they could've picked a better name for the last one) were finally released back into their natural environment.
Over 300 spectators gathered on Virginia Beach to wave off Portsmouth and Rooney, as well as two loggerheads from the Virginia Aquarium.

Rooney was one of the Aquariums first cold stunned turtles of 2013 and Portsmouth was caught on a fishing hook at the Ocean View Fishing Pier on July 4th. Both turtles required extensive veterinary and husbandry care and after the pair had gained sufficient weight, the were ready to be released back into their natural habitat.

The two turtles, who have satellite and acoustic tags, will be continuously monitored and tracked to ensure they are doing well in their new, and very large, ocean habitat.

Soon you will be able to follow Portsmouth and Rooney's adventures through the National Aquariums website, so go and have a look and see how they're getting on!