On Saturday the 6th of June 13 of the 20 sea turtles that were rescued from Ascencion during the Sargassum Crisis were released back into the ocean at San Pedro. This massive release event was carried out under the supervision of STCC volunteers and involved a large group of people and organizations that have played an instrumental part in the rescue and care for the turtles that were taken from the Sargassum weed.
The turtles were picked up in the morning at the Curacao Seaquarium, where the turtles had been placed for rehabilitation purposed for the last couple of months. The Curacao Seaquarium took excellent care of the turtles. In the early morning, the sea turtles were caught and carefully prepared for transportation to the release site. In several pick up trucks that got an escort of Police, CITRO and the Easy riders the turtles were transported to San Pedro, where the release took place. We are happy that local and international media were present during the release and hopefully the exposure will contribute to the awareness about sea turtles and the many challenges they face.
Great thanks to all the volunteers, the Curacao Seaquarium, CITRO, Stichting Uniek Curacao, Easy riders, the Police, all the people that made a donation, either in kind, goods or time. Because of this amazing collaboration, these turtles now have another chance.
As the Sargassum Crisis still prevails, we continue to do frequent checks at the Ascension bay and rescue the turtles stranded in the seaweed. We are looking for financial support to help us with the costs of these activities, as well as vet expenses.