WATCH: SC Aquarium releases 9 rehabilitated sea turtles

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Nine sea turtles are back in the ocean after recovering from injuries at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston.

The turtles were a mix of young Kemp’s ridley and green sea turtles. They were admitted to the aquarium’s care center for cold stunning and hook and line injuries.

“Sea turtles can become cold stunned and suffer from hypothermia when they are unable to regulate their body temperature due to a rapid change in temperature of their surrounding environment,” a news release from the aquarium states.

Seven of the turtles, Capricorn, Libra, Mars, Pisces, Saturn, Venus and Virgo, were initially stranded in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, back in December. Once they were rescued and taken to the South Carolina Aquarium, biologists and vet staff worked to manage various side effects, including pneumonia, GI stress, eye lesions and anemia, before clearing them for release.

“Once we’ve determined that these animals are ready to go back out into the wild, we coordinate with South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources to make sure we’ve got the right conditions for these animals, and we get them properly tagged with microchips, so that if that animal is ever stranded again or if it’s caught for a research project, it will be able to be identified,” Manager of the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center Melissa Ranly said.

Related: South Carolina Aquarium caring for 15 cold-stunned sea turtles from New England

The other two turtles, Shredder and Jo, both Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, were admitted to the care center this past fall after being caught on hook and line along the South Carolina coast. Jo had a large hook in their esophagus that needed to be surgically removed, as well as a corneal ulcer in their left eye.

All nine of the turtles were released into the warm blue waters off of Little Talbot Island State Park in Jacksonville, Florida.

The aquarium is still caring for the eight other turtles recovered from Cape Cod. Aquarium spokesperson Susan McLaughlin says they are still recovering and will be evaluated by their veterinary team and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to determine when they are cleared for release.

For more information on the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center, click here.

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