Southbound Sea Turtles

From the moment they're rescued, sick and injured sea turtles have a long journey ahead. Depending on the severity of their case, sea turtle patients might spend weeks to months receiving rehabilitative care at the National Aquarium before they're deemed healthy enough to return to the Atlantic Ocean. For some rescued sea turtles and the Aquarium staff who care for them, the last leg of this journey is an 870-mile overnight drive from Baltimore to Florida.

"Once they've recovered, we don't want to keep these sea turtles here any longer than necessary," explained Rehabilitation Manager Caitlin Bovery. "When ocean temperatures in Maryland aren't warm enough yet, we travel south, usually to Florida, to release them."

Back in January, the Aquarium's veterinarians medically cleared a group of 26 sea turtle patients—25 Kemp's ridleys and one loggerhead—for release. Most of these sea turtles had been recuperating in the Aquarium's Pier 4 hospital pools since late November when they were rescued suffering from the effects of cold stunning. Cold-stunned sea turtles become weak and prone to health issues after being exposed to rapidly cooling waters.

"All of these sea turtles were free of infection with fully healed wounds," Caitlin explained. "Plus, they were all foraging well and exhibiting typical behaviors."

Preparing for Departure

The time and place for this release—determined in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission—was set for Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at Canaveral National Seashore in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

The Aquarium's Animal Rescue team started preparing for the release almost immediately by securing the required permits. About 20 hours before the release was scheduled to take place, a final flurry of activity began in Pier 4.

A team of 17 Aquarium employees and Animal Rescue volunteers started gathering in the sea turtle rehabilitation pool area in Pier 4 around 7 p.m. on Monday, February 10.

Veteran National Aquarium Animal Rescue volunteer Alan McKenzie donned waders and thick gloves and got into the pool with the sea turtles. Each patient is identified with a number painted on its shell with nontoxic markers. It was Alan's job to find each sea turtle scheduled to be released, skillfully scoop them up, and hand them off to the poolside team who would get them ready for the journey.

Hydration and lubrication, inside and out, are key to keeping each sea turtle safe and comfortable for transport. Each sea turtle received an injection of fluid and electrolytes, with the exact dose determined by their weight. The syringes were all prefilled and labeled with the patient's number so the process could move quickly. After they were hydrated, each sea turtle's shell and skin were coated with a thick lubricating jelly, and their eyes were moistened with a sterile ointment.

After each turtle was hydrated and lubricated, they were placed in a banana box labeled with their number and Aquarium-given nickname. Banana boxes are ideal for turtle transport. "Banana boxes are sturdy, have built-in lids and ventilation, and are a uniform size that happens to be perfect for juvenile sea turtles," Caitlin said. "It's easier to plan how many patients we can fit in the car when we know they're 'banana-box-sized.'" Each box was lined with a folded towel for cushioning and cleanliness.

Once all the prep was complete and every turtle was ready to go, volunteers quickly carried each box out to the warm, waiting vehicles, two National Aquarium Ford Expeditions. Each SUV was preheated to the ideal sea turtle temp of 70 degrees. Temperature control is key to ensure the sea turtles' safe transport.

The sea turtles were loaded quickly but carefully into the vehicles. In addition to the sea turtles, there were three Aquarium staff members assigned to each vehicle. They would each be responsible for monitoring the sea turtles and driving multiple two-hour shifts overnight and into the next day. The six-person transport team was headed by Caitlin and included staff volunteers from across the Aquarium who entered a lottery to participate. For this trip, these volunteers were Senior Herpetologist Matthew Benedict, Conservation Technician Daniel Cullen, Life Support Engineer Hannah Garthwaite, Staff Photographer Phil Smith and Security Manager Cuinn Wallace.

Rubber Meets Road

At around 9 p.m. on Monday, February 10, the wheels started to turn. The two Aquarium SUVs turned left onto Lombard Street, headed toward Oriole Park at Camden Yards and the ramp to I-95 south.

The drive would take them through Washington, D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and into Florida. In the weeks leading up to this night, Caitlin had coordinated with officials in each state to arrange permits that would allow the Aquarium team to pass through with endangered animals in tow.

The monuments of Washington, D.C., came into view a little after 10 p.m. The two SUVs must stay together for the entire trip. If the group in one vehicle needs to stop, the other group does too. Stops are limited to necessary bathroom and fuel breaks, and the animals are never left in a vehicle unattended.

A few hours into the drive, Hannah took her first shift behind the wheel. "I loved every second of this experience," she said afterward. "I'd seen these turtles swimming around in the hospital pool every day, and I had a hand in their care by maintaining the water quality there. Volunteering for this trip was a no-brainer. I haven't worked with animals directly in some years and this fulfilled a part of me that missed it."

It's important that the temperature in each vehicle remains between 65 and 75 degrees for the duration of the trip. Someone checked the temperature about every 30 minutes. Each vehicle was equipped with an infrared temperature gun and wireless thermometers, as well as emergency kits with syringes, ointment, gauze and other supplies in case a sea turtle needed care during the drive. That rarely happens, though, and this time was no different.

The team rolled into the Sunshine State at around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 11, which turned out to be a rather cloudy day. By this point, the cargo had gotten pretty smelly. "This experience is not for someone who can't handle the scent of turtle pee," said Matthew.

It All Comes Down to This

The team arrived at New Smyrna Beach at about 2 p.m., a full 17 hours after leaving Baltimore. New Smyrna is a public beach, and members of the public who were lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time were welcome to watch the release.

The transport team met with state park rangers for a briefing before they began carrying the sea turtles in their boxes onto the sand where they were given some time to acclimate to the sights, sounds and smells of the beach.

And then it all came down to this. "We place larger sea turtles like loggerheads on the sand so they can make their way into the surf on their own, since they're strong enough to swim out into the breaking waves," said Caitlin. "For smaller sea turtles like Kemp's ridleys, we carry them out one by one beyond the first breaking waves, so they have a smooth return to sea."

Holding firmly but gently onto the edges of each Kemp's ridley's carapace, the team walked them into the waves and let them go. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Cuinn reflected.

"The majority of the trip was driving and restlessness," said Matthew. "The turtle release part was short, and we were all running on fumes at that point. But I made a point to pause and take in the moment. This work that we do has a real impact. The turtles don't thank us a bit. In fact, they'll slap the freckles off your skin—but I do think they appreciate it."

On the Road Again

After eating dinner together and catching a few hours of sleep at a nearby hotel, the team reconvened at 5 a.m. on Wednesday, February 12. They had another long drive ahead on I-95, this time heading north toward Baltimore with a lot of empty cargo space.