Buxton sea turtle release draws a crowd… WITH VIDEO

The Old Lighthouse Beach in Buxton was packed on Tuesday morning, May 16, as six sea turtles that had completed their rehabilitation at the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation (STAR) Center at the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island were released back into the ocean.

The released sea turtles included four green sea turtles, one juvenile Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, and one adult female loggerhead sea turtle known as “Miss Piggy,” who was also outfitted with a satellite so that her movements could be tracked in the months to come.

The Kemp’s ridley turtle was admitted to the STAR Center in May after catching a fishing hook in the mouth near Jennette’s Pier, while Miss Piggy has been at the STAR Center since September 2022, due to her lethargic and anemic state when she was found.

The four green sea turtles were all cold-stunned turtle patients, and were admitted to the STAR Center over the winter months.

On the Outer Banks, volunteers with N.E.S.T (Network for Endangered Sea Turtles) patrol the beaches when the temperatures drop, looking for cold-stunned sea turtles that have become immobile and have washed ashore.

Cold-stunned turtles typically suffer symptoms similar to hypothermia – which lowers their heart rate and circulation – and when they become too cold, their metabolism slows, prohibiting them from moving to warmer waters.

Because they are unable to move, they have difficulty raising their heads above water to breathe and can eventually drown. The winter of 2022/2023 was an especially busy year for N.E.S.T volunteers, with an estimated 320 cold-stunned sea turtles rescued on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands.

“Our [winter] season this year had the second-highest number of cold-stunned sea turtles ever,” said longtime Hatteras Island N.E.S.T Coordinator Frank Welles, noting that volunteers were especially busy during a cold snap that occurred over the Christmas holiday. “In the past 14 years that we’ve been doing this, we never hit a major holiday, but we [rescued] 50 sea turtles each day on Christmas Eve and Christmas.”

Once the sea turtles have been rescued, they are transported to the STAR center to undergo rehabilitation until they are healthy enough to return to the Atlantic Ocean.

Although turtle releases occasionally occur without fanfare, public events like Tuesday’s release tend to draw a lot of attention. “This is definitely one of the largest crowds we’ve had in a while,” said Christian Legner, Communications Manager with the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. “People have been arriving all morning.”

N.E.S.T. volunteers and aquarium staff provided information on each of the turtles before releasing them into the ocean to loud cheers. 209-pound Miss Piggy, who required six volunteers to transport her to the ocean’s edge in a large black tub, was the last to leave but the most enthusiastic, making a beeline to the ocean.

The STAR Center still has a number of turtle patients, and additional public releases may be hosted in the near future. In the meantime, the public can keep tabs on upcoming releases and other turtle-centric events via the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island’s Facebook page.

The six sea turtles released on Tuesday included the following:

• “Miss Piggy” –  Adult female loggerhead stranded on Cape Hatteras Seashore on 09/15/2022.
  • She was lethargic and anemic upon arrival at STAR
  • Fitted with a satellite transmitter – once biologists start receiving location data, it will be shared on the Aquarium’s social media channels and website

• 

  “Sleepy” – juvenile Kemp’s ridley found in Nags Head

  • Admitted to STAR Center on 05/03/2023 with a hook in the mouth
• “Bashful” – juvenile green sea turtle stranded on Cape Hatteras Seashore
  • Cold-stun patient admitted on Christmas Day, 12/25/2022
• “Flounder” – juvenile green sea turtle stranded in Frisco
  • Cold-stun patient admitted on 02/04/2023
• “Kaa” – juvenile green sea turtle stranded in Frisco
  • Presumed cold-stun patient admitted on 03/16/2023
• Mushu – juvenile green sea turtle stranded in Avon
  • Presumed cold-stun patient admitted on 03/16/2023

How You Can Help:

• The sea turtle nesting season officially began this past week, with the first nest of the season laid on Ocracoke Island on May 12. If you see turtle tracks, nesting activity, or hatchlings, please notify park biologists by calling 252-216-6892.
• For more information on N.E.S.T., and to make a donation or learn about volunteer opportunities, visit http://www.nestonline.org/.