The National Aquarium Animal Rescue team announced they have released a locally rescued turtle, Glockenspiel, back into the wild earlier this month.
The loggerhead turtle was the third of three releases throughout the 2022-2023 cold-stun sea turtle rescue season, the animal rescue team said, and was released on May 10.
Glockenspiel was found in the Chesapeake Bay in August 2022, malnourished and to weak to swim, according to the animal rescue team.
"Weighing in at approximately 100 pounds, experts assessed that this turtle was approximately 15 to 20 years old based on the length of its carapace or shell," the animal rescue team said. "A full medical exam including diagnostic imaging through CT scans and radiographs revealed that Glockenspiel was suffering from potentially fatal lung infection as well as severe gastrointestinal inflammation and exhibited extreme difficulty eating."
The animal rescue team said Glockenspiel's treatment lasted about nine months and he received nutrition, fluids, antibiotics, and nebulizer treatments through that time.
"Glockenspiel proved to be a very picky eater," Rehabilitation Manager, Caitlin Boevry said. "While loggerhead sea turtles naturally eat a wide variety of prey - blue crabs, horseshoe crabs, jellyfish, mollusks - Glockenspiel would only eat mackerel fillets at first."
After completing his full treatment, the animal rescue team said Glockenspiel returned to the ocean at Point Lookout State Park in Scotland, Maryland.
“Sea turtles are a vital part of our ocean habitats and ecosystems, but every species is endangered. The National Aquarium works to recover and rehabilitate these magnificent and ancient creatures, as well as many other aquatic treasures. These recent releases of rescued and rehabilitated sea turtles show the importance of their ongoing efforts and why we fought to secure federal funding to support the Aquarium’s work,” said Senator Van Hollen.
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Of the 48 turtles released back into the wild this season, 24 were rehabilitated at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the animal rescue team said.