CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The first sea turtle release of the year was today and the Texas Sealife Center started off with a bang!
They released nine green sea turtles that hung around a little longer after January's freeze.
Spring has also brought us into turtle nesting season, which means beachgoers will need to be extra mindful when they hit the sand.
"This is a very important time, especially for the Kemp's ridley sea turtle, those are the guys that are nesting - or the girls -- that are nesting right now and so the biggest thing is to be aware,” said Veterinarian and Director for the Texas Sealife Center Tim Tristan. “Watch for turtle tracks, drive the speed limit, on the beach because you never know when a turtle might be coming up to nest."
Turtle nesting season will run through June.
Below is the story before the update.
The Texas Sealife Center will release around nine green sea turtles this Sunday at 11:00 a.m. at mile marker 216 in front on the Wyndham CC Resort on North Padre Island.
The turtles first came to the Center during January's cold stun event and hung around a little while longer than their counterparts to receive some extra love and care while the Spring season brought warmer waters to the Coastal Bend.
"There were a couple that were on medications for wounds that have since healed and others were just small, so we wanted to wait until we were sure that the water was going to stay warm," said a TSC representative.
The Center initially began rehabilitating more than 80 cold-stunned sea turtles after January's freeze. They were released after showing that they were ready and eager to get back out into the water.
You can find pictures of the private release here:
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