Join the Gulf Specimen Marine Lab for a virtual sea turtle release!

FACEBOOK LIVE: Releasing Auggie our Kemp's Ridley Turtle On the first of August, we received a call from Ron Jenkins, a charter boat captain in Apalachicola. Maddie a little girl from Missouri had accidentally hooked a sea turtle, not just any sea turtle but the most endangered sea turtle in the world, a Kemp's Ridley! Jenkins immediately notified us and made sure that the turtle had its head above water. Maddie who had the honors of naming the turtle decided to name it Auggie because it was found on the first day of August. Kemp's Ridley sea turtles largely congregate and nest exclusively on the beaches of Rancho Nuevo, Mexico. Their populations were decimated by fishing boats through accidental bycatch but their numbers are slowly recovering after the mandatory implementation of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs). However, their recovery experienced a huge setback in 2010 after the infamous Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates that 20% of all juvenile Kemp's Ridley turtles perished during the oil spill from health related oil exposure. While they are extremely rare everywhere else in the world, they are commonly found here in Panacea in search of their favorite food, the blue crabs. Their primary feeding grounds are located in the northern Gulf of Mexico which encompasses the shores of the Florida panhandle, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. A large majority of sea turtles we rescue and rehab are Kemp's Ridleys much like Auggie. This week marks Auggie's third and last week of rehab. Her x-rays came back fine and she has received a clean bill of health from Dr Griggs, our pro bono vet from Shepherd Springs Hospital. We would like to invite all of you to Auggie's virtual release this Thursday at 3PM EDT only on our Facebook Page @GulfSpecimenAquarium. Come join us as we send Auggie off on her way as she resumes her journey in the sea. To watch the livestream, click the link below at 3PM EDT and a LIVE video feed will pop up. https://www.facebook.com/GulfSpecimenAquarium/ Thank you and best wishes, Alyson Chin Media Coordinator at Gulf Specimen Marine Lab Follow us!  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌

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