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Three sea turtles are going home!
And you are invited to join us as we release them back to the ocean!
Here are the details.
WHO: Turtledove, Pammie, and Sahara Desert
WHAT: Sea Turtle Release!
WHEN: Tuesday, August 23, 2022
WHERE: Surf City Broadway Street Beach Access (#5), behind Nelva R. Albury Recreation Area
WHY: Because these three sea turtles are fully rehabilitated and ready to return to their ocean home!

PLEASE BE ADVISED:
~ Tuesday is forecast to be warm with scattered thunderstorms. If you join us in person, you may wish to bring rain gear as - barring lightening - we will proceed with the release rain or shine. And, even on a cloudy day, one can get sunburned or experience heat stress; make sure you wear sunscreen and bring water to drink.
~ Parking is very limited, and paid parking is in effect. Please carpool, ride your bike, or walk if possible!
~ Police and other Town Officials will be on hand to help. Please follow all police guidelines.
~ Please stay off the dunes! The dunes protect the beach for the benefit of turtles and people!
~ This release is open to the public and we expect a crowd. There is limited beach space. Please be patient and respectful! We will create a perimeter for the turtles, volunteers, and media. Kindly stay outside the perimeter tape. If you are close to the front, please sit so people behind you can see. Volunteers will be available along the perimeter to answer any question you may have.
~ Please pick up all trash and dispose of it properly. Trash and Recycling bins are located nearby. Let's keep our beautiful beaches clean for turtles and people!
~ The release will be broadcast live on Facebook and Instagram so you can watch (or re-watch) later.

About the Turtles:

PAMMIE is a sub-adult loggerhead turtle that stranded September 28, 2021 in Swansboro, NC. She was rescued by the Emerald Isle Sea Turtle Patrol and brought to us on September 29. We treated Pammie for boat strike injuries, including traumatic carapace lesions and a partially missing right rear flipper. We also treated her for anemia. When she first arrived, Pammie weighed 32 kg (70.5 pounds); she now weighs in at a healthy 42.3 kg (93.3 pounds). Throughout her rehabilitation, Pammie has shown great spirit. She is an enthusiastic swimmer - even with only 3 1/2 flippers - and we look forward to releasing her back to her ocean home!
TURTLEDOVE is a juvenile Kemp's ridley turtle that stranded November 17, 2021 on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She was rescued by Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, triaged at the New England Aquarium, and flown to North Carolina by Turtles Fly Too. We picked her up from the NC State Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST) where she was evaluated by their veterinary team. It truly takes a village to help save sea turtles! Turtledove was admitted to KBSTRRC on November 29 and treated for cold stunning, intermittent positive buoyancy, and anemia. When Turtledove first arrived, she weighed only 1.1 kg (2.4 pounds); she's grown a lot and now weighs 5.2 kg (11.5 pounds)! We love the way Turtledove zips around the therapy pool and look forward to her zipping into the ocean!
SAHARA DESERT is a sub-adult loggerhead turtle that stranded in North Topsail Beach, NC on June 20, 2022. Members of our Topsail Turtle Patrol rescued her and brought her back to our sea turtle hospital for treatment. Sahara had accidentally swallowed a fishing hook. We are grateful to the fisherman who called us immediately so we could help. We transported Sahara to CMAST where skilled veterinarians surgically removed the hook from Sahara's esophagus. After two months of additional rehabilitation, Sahara is fully healed and more than ready to go home! She weighed 37.9 kg (83.6 pounds) upon arrival and we will weigh her again before she leaves. We just hope she has learned her lesson to stay away from food attached to hooks!
This conservation work for protected sea turtles at KBSTRRC and on Topsail Island is authorized by NC Wildlife Resources Commission ES Permit 22ST05.
Pammie and Sahara Desert both stranded because of human activity. With your help, other boat struck and hooked sea turtles can be rehabilitated and released. Please consider donating today! On behalf of the turtles, thanks for your support.
Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation Center