Hundreds gather on the Outer Banks to watch 6 rehabilitated sea turtles return to the ocean

Against the backdrop of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, hundreds turned out Tuesday morning to cheer rehabilitated sea turtles as they returned to their ocean homes.

It was the Outer Banks first public turtle release since the coronavirus pandemic, and the response was overwhelming, said Christian Legner, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island, home to the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation hospital, known as the STAR Center.

The aquarium invited the public to come out as caretakers released six turtles near the iconic lighthouse in Buxton. And come out they did. An estimated 300 people lined the beach as the turtles were released one by one.

Among them was Miss Piggy, an adult female loggerhead brought to the STAR Center on Sept. 15 with lethargy and anemia. Miss Piggy received a satellite transmitter and a DNA test before her release. The DNA sample will be compared to DNA collected on nesting beaches from North Carolina to Georgia and will let researchers know if she nests successfully. The aquarium plans to share Miss Piggy’s track on its website when she pings.

“We don’t normally see adult turtles in the STAR Center,” Amber Hitt, STAR Center manager, said in a statement. “Rehabilitating and releasing a turtle that could potentially contribute to the population in the near future brings additional depth to this rewarding job.”

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The other turtles released included four green sea turtles that all suffered from cold-stunning over the winter and one Kemp’s ridley turtle that had a hook in its mouth.

Those turtles received small microchips inserted into their flippers to help identify them if they are seen again in the future, the aquarium said in a news release.

The turtle release was a joint effort between the aquarium and the Outer Banks Network for Endangered Sea Turtles, a volunteer group responsible for responding to reports of stranded turtles, transporting patients and helping care for rehabilitating turtles. The network also provides sea turtle nest monitoring from Nags Head to the Virginia state line.

“In the winter, releases are often done from boats, so volunteers don’t get the chance to attend. Having the opportunity to see six turtles released and have volunteers actively participate is very gratifying,” said network president Tony Parisi in a statement.

If you see a stranded or nesting turtle on the Outer Banks, contact the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles’ hotline at 252-441-8622.

The STAR Center hospital at the aquarium is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily and is included with admission to the aquarium.

Kari Pugh, kari.pugh@virginiamedia.com